Substance
by Aurora18
Summary: When a vampire finds their mate they are inexplicably bound to them, the bond forged between the two is both eternal and unbreakable. It is also mutual, but what would happen if their other half were a human? New chapter up!
1. Chapter 1

**Substance**

**Summary:**** When a vampire finds their mate they are inexplicably bound to them, the bond forged between the two is both eternal and unbreakable. It is also mutual. Would it be the same if their other half were human?**

**Disclaimer – Original characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, plot lines and characterizations, all belong to Aurora18, copyright June 2011.**

**Hello all! This is based on a storyline I've had in my head for quite a while now and I'd really like to share it with you. Please tell me what you think at the end, your opinions are invaluable to me.**

**Chapter 1**** - Duty**

Light filtered in through the window and lit up a small patch of the wooden floor in front of me. I tilted my head in fascination as I watched the dust swirl anti-clockwise against the light. Leaving my chair and walking through the illuminated space I stood at the window, shaded from the glow of the evening sun by the heavy curtains framing the space.

My expression did not alter as I watched the hundred or so people walking in the streets below me. It was six o'clock in the evening and this was the most popular time for them to leave their jobs for the day. From the height of the building I was in, their heartbeats were perfectly audible, little fluttering sounds, some synchronised and others beating out of time. It was like a concerto, one I had to listen to every single day.

Peering out on to the horizon, I calculated the minutes we would have to wait until we would be able to travel uncovered, it would not do to be conspicuous tonight. It would take under ten minutes to get to the airport at night, where I could run without being discovered, but there was still at least half an hour of daylight left. But the sun would soon be setting. I grimaced as I mentally added another half an hour to the time it would take us to get there if we wanted to catch our flight, we would have to travel in one of those yellow cars the humans were so fond of, and we would have to cover up.

"Rosalie, I was planning on arriving by midnight _tonight_. _Why_ are you not ready?" I didn't bother to turn around or raise my voice; I knew she'd hear me wherever she was.

She was by my side in an instant, blond hair swirling around her as she came to a stop with a furious expression on her face. In her human life she had been very beautiful, some would have said stunning. Her beauty had only been magnified during her change, but so had her self centred nature and tenacity. Perhaps if I were a human I would have been intimidated, but after fifty years with her, her dramatics were nothing but tiresome.

"Because, I have to pack _everything_, and I'm hungry. I want to feed before we catch our flight. I don't see why I have to come with you; you're the only one that cares about all that _ceremony _stuff anyway." I closed my eyes in frustration. Why couldn't she just do as she's told for once?

"Well then you shouldn't accumulate so many things. We won't be coming back here so you should take everything you want with you. As for feeding, I'm sure you'll be able to find something when we get to Volterra." She'd only fed a couple of nights ago, she couldn't possibly be hungry, but she had to whine about something.

"Don't you mean some_one_?" I turned to face her and rolled my eyes at the arrogant smirk on her face but even though I was several inches shorter, my glare was still enough to make her take a few steps back.

"When we reach Volterra, you _will_ show more respect. I have told you before; they are not as tolerant of your insolence as I am."

"I still don't see why I have to go. I'd much rather stay with the Denali sisters again." I gritted my teeth in frustration, I'd told her time and time again, why she couldn't possibly retain the information I had no idea.

"Absolutely not, you are my responsibility so you are coming. It is a great honour to be invited to the ceremony, and we should both be very pleased for Demetri, now that he has found his mate." I ignored her huffs and complaints and decided to double check I had collected everything I would need to take with me. The rest could be disposed of.

"You still believe in all of that don't you? Having one mate for the rest of your life?" I knew she was referring to my very _single_ status, being over seven hundred years old and still unmated was rare to say the least. I expected a jibe from her but her voice was not harsh or mocking this time, and it made me stop for a second. We had very different views on the nature of vampire relationships, to put it lightly; I was the traditional one while she favoured a much more _modern_ approach.

"Of course, it is just a matter of time. Now get ready, I want to leave _now._" I held my head high as I turned to face her and spoke in an even tone. She nodded and went to her room, collecting her bags on the way.

I watched the setting sun from the window of our taxi and smiled at its beautiful simplicity. It was something I never tired of watching, despite the thousands I had seen. We had not been able to arrange private transportation from our apartment to JFK airport in the city so our driver was human, and Rosalie was struggling. I knew I would be able to stop her if she decided to act on her instincts but I still kept a close eye on her.

When we settled inside the car the black of her pupils was spreading and her hands were clenched at her sides, telling me that she was having trouble resisting. It was something she needed to practise. She needed to learn to be around humans comfortably in a non-feeding capacity. After attempting to make conversation our driver had fallen into silence, it was probably for the best, it would allow Rosalie to concentrate more. Ten more minutes and we would arrive at the airport. I had arranged for someone to see us through check in and security without any hassle, and so that Rosalie would not have to deal with large groups of people, which I knew she would find difficult. Resisting temptation was something she still needed to perfect.

"We should not be too much longer, he will drop us at the airport entrance and we can walk straight through." I spoke low enough so the driver would not hear us but I don't know how much reassurance my words provided her because she merely looked at me and nodded. I'd told her to hold her breath for the duration of the journey and I think part of the struggle for her was the uncomfortable sensation of _not _breathing when it was a habit she had gotten used to.

Thankfully our escort was waiting for us at the taxi rank, fully equipped to transport the inordinate amount of luggage Rosalie had deemed _essential_. Not that we would have struggled at all, but it would have looked strange for two _human _women.

"Good evening Miss Isabella my name is Peter. Your seven thirty flight to London Heathrow is scheduled to be on-time, flying conditions are good, and you should land at about half past eight in time to catch your connection at London Gatwick airport at nine o'clock to Florence." Peter was tall; almost more so than Rosalie despite her ridiculous insistence at wearing high heeled shoes whilst travelling. I had met him before; he had escorted me while I was on an assignment from Paris to Luxembourg. He was relatively young, a hundred years or so old but thankfully he did not feel the need to fill the time with mindless chatter. This I was grateful for.

"Very good. Thank you Peter. I trust that our luggage transportation has been taken care of." As a rule we never travelled with anything but the most _essential _luggage, anything else will go on a separate flight to a similar destination and be transported to me, if I needed to go somewhere unexpectedly I did not want to be loaded with the baggage I was already carrying.

"Yes, you will be able to personally escort your things onto the plane going to Rome before boarding your own flight."

"Are any others travelling with us?" I was sure I already knew the answer would be a no, but Aro was known to invite friends now and then, and the safest way to monitor them would be if they travelled with me.

"No Miss, you and Miss Rosalie are the only passengers, although I do believe Gianna will be there to meet you at Florence airport." At the mention of her name Rosalie swung her head around to look at Peter and gave him a mischievous smile, I think she even winked at him. Another bad habit, no doubt picked up from her time in Alaska. I sent her a warning look and she turned around again with a huff to examine her nails. Peter didn't seem to mind the attention.

"Gianna's presence is unnecessary but if it will appease Aro then I shall tolerate her." I understood the need for humans in the façade, especially within the confines of Volterra, and most of them kept to themselves. There were however, a few who secretly fancied themselves superior because of their position, Gianna was one of them. Yet for all the responsibility and importance she believes her job has, she will meet the same fate in the end as any other human in the Volturi palace. I had seen her, on several occasions demean and disregard members of her own kind in hope of earning respect amongst those around her. She thought herself a peacock, it was pitiful.

"Very good Miss. I can direct you to the plane in which your luggage will be travelling now but is there anything else you require of me before your flight."

"Yes actually Peter there is one more thing. I would like you to escort Rosalie to the plane and wait for me there." I didn't like having to treat her like she was cargo, but while I was under the eye of the Volturi, which I very much was with Peter around; I had to treat her in the manner that would be expected. A small part of me was thinking that she deserved it anyway, regardless of expectations, after all the trouble she'd been after her change. I sent her a sidelong glance and I knew without her saying anything that she understood. Despite all the fuss she made about having to go to Volterra, I knew she understood that it was my duty, one I could not ignore. True to form though, she scowled at Peter when he began to lead her towards our terminal, having given me directions to where our luggage would be loaded.

Another part of my reason for sending Rosalie along to the plane without me was to be able to walk amongst the people uninterrupted. I blended in reasonably well, as well as could be expected of a vampire. My clothes were nondescript, black trouser suit with a matching raincoat, but my pale skin and ochre coloured eyes could be considered unique I suppose. I hated having to wear contact lenses but they were a necessary evil, my usual colour would not sit well, despite Americans being fairly accepting nowadays.

I shook hands with the pilot who would be chartering the plane for our luggage to Rome by London. He was a short stout man, in his early forties and incredibly professional. I recognised his scent as I had met him before and I'd obviously made an impression because he made a small respectful bow before leading me to the aircraft for me to inspect it. If another vampire, other than Peter, had tried to tamper with my things, I would know.

"Your luggage should arrive with you no later than midday tomorrow Miss." I nodded my thanks to him and he seemed relieved that our exchange seemed to have come to an end. I didn't blame him. He expected a certain level of hostility from me, and even though he was mildly afraid, he had no idea why. Before he had been able to take a couple of steps away from me I'd tapped him on the shoulder, unwillingly startling him. I pressed two one hundred dollar bills into his palm and at first he looked at me questioningly, even when I lifted the corners of my mouth up into a smile and closed his fingers around the money.

"Miss, thank you, but I'll receive my payment at the end of the -" I could tell he wanted to take it but his sense of right and wrong made him pause. Good man.

"I know, think of it as a …tip. Use it to surprise your wife." I gestured down to the gold band on his wedding finger when he gasped at the mention of his wife. I smiled a little more encouragingly now, showing only a little of my teeth and felt accomplished when he took the money and shook my hand in both of his.

"Thank you Miss, thank you very much. I wish you a pleasant flight and a safe journey." I nodded my head in appreciation and this time I walked away from him without looking back. I liked being able to reward efficient humans, money meant nothing to vampires, but humans thrived on it, the money I'd given him he could use to treat his family, if he had children. It had certainly made me feel better anyway. I felt lighter, and as I walked among the crowds, watching the groups of people, I realised how much I'd missed my own family, and I suddenly couldn't wait to get back to Volterra.

Unfortunately Peter was not misinformed; Gianna _was_ there to meet us at Florence. I smelled her at the same time as I saw her leaning against the car that would be taking us to Volterra. Why humans saturated themselves with ridiculous chemicals I don't know, their scents were quite potent enough on their own; _perfumes_ only succeeded in making them smell intolerable at best. I pushed my sunglasses higher up on my nose as I looked at Rosalie who looked much happier when she saw the car, happy not to have to _run_ anywhere. She had been tolerable on the flight, fairly quiet considering she hated flying, but she usually found something to moan about.

"Your royal princess, oh, I mean Highness, please allow me to welcome you to Florence, if there is anything you should need I would be _more_ than happy to get you _anything_ you want. Please feel free to ask me anything relating to our travel plans or the proceedings for the next few days, I know you've been away for a while, but we should be in Volterra soon, you must be so tired. " I growled lowly and gritted my teeth, did she know _nothing_? She actually had the _audacity_ to _curtsey_ and to _welcome me back to my own home_, as if I were a_ stranger._ This was not what I needed, a human alerting everybody within a thirty metre radius that some kind of royal had arrived. The Volturi were all about _not_ letting humans find out about vampires. She might as well have stuck a sign to her head.

I looked straight past her head of bouncing curls to Felix who I was more than happy to deal with instead of Gianna. His greeting was a lot less ostentatious; he gave a subtle, _respectful_ bow of his head and fell in line beside me as we walked around the car.

"Deal with her Felix; I will indulge Caius' idea of a joke this _once _but I don't see any reason for me to have to see her again." I saw a small smile grace his lips as he guided her away from me where she was no doubt waiting to see if she could _do anything else for me._ Ludicrous.

Several other members of the guard were seated in the car and they greeted me in the same way that Felix had. Rosalie seated herself behind me and I had to stifle a laugh when I heard Gianna being instructed to make her way to Rome to escort my luggage back to Volterra. She'd enjoy that.

"I trust all the necessary preparations have been made." I didn't bother looking at Felix but I did keep my voice low, I wasn't keen on everyone hearing our conversation.

"Of course, you and Rosalie are actually the last ones to arrive." I knew he was just stating a fact instead of being disrespectful, which was one of the reasons why we'd worked so well together in the past, he respected my superiority of rank.

"I shall make my apologies to Demetri and his new mate; there were several cases that needed taking care of before I left."

"Demetri is honoured that you will be able to attend, he's anxious to introduce you to Adriana."

"I'd never miss a ceremony such as this, they're so rare nowadays, and many of us have forgotten the old ways." He didn't say anything for a while and I sat back and tried to enjoy the feeling of being trapped in this _car_ while I had to endure it.

"Will you miss New York?"

"Not at all, the people are interesting but there are too many of them, too much cruelty and too many sloppy nomads." He let out a roar of laughter and I smirked when it surprised the rest of our passengers, a laughing Volturi guard was a rare sight indeed.

"You've been away too long, everyone has missed you at Court." His voice took on a softer tone, which was quite remarkable for someone as large as Felix.

"Even Caius?" He merely smiled in response and I didn't expect him to reply. It would be unforgiveable and dangerous to speak out of turn about one of the Royals, even if Caius' distaste for me was widely known.

"Aro will be sending me somewhere different after the post ceremonial celebrations, but I do not anticipate leaving such a great length of time between coming back to visit."

"I'm glad, ten years is a long time without family. Do you think you will stay in America?"

"Perhaps, but somewhere with less sunshine, there was a little too much in New York."

"What about Alaska?" Rosalie quickly shrunk back in her seat as I whipped my head round and growled at her. Thoughts of Alaska and the Denali coven had soured my mood and now I was all the more impatient to get to Volterra.

"Felix, how long will it be until we there?" I practically snarled at him and cursed once again that we had to be in this car in the first place. I wanted to _run._

"Fifty minutes."

"Make it twenty."

_Twenty five_ minutes later we reached the city wall and I felt a smile unconsciously grace my features. _This_ was where I was meant to be. This was _home_.

I was greeted by Chelsea and Afton, a mated guard pair for whom I had much respect. We were inside the confines of the courtyard now, so a proper welcome was given. They bowed lowly and I nodded my head in return. I acknowledged Heidi as she transported Rosalie to her own chambers which I was extremely grateful for, she was always more than happy to look after her on official visits; she knew I didn't need any distractions. I was handed my long black cloak and the moment I slipped it on, the guards we had been travelling with fell into place around me, with Felix by my side. All this was merely a formality, there was no vampire who would be able to lay a hand on me even if I were unprotected, but the Volturi are extravagant, and I'm always willing to indulge my family.

Guests of the ceremony stopped to bow and greet me as I made my way to the main chamber, I could hear that there were many vampires within the palace, but this was not unusual. Demetri was a senior member of the Royal Guard; many would be privileged to have been invited to his mating ceremony.

The doors were pushed open in front of me and I smiled properly for the first time in a while. The room itself was imposing anyway but it had been decorated lavishly for the ceremony, I stared around at the crystal chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings and the flutes of fresh blood being passed around on trays. I took a deep breath and shuddered at just how _fresh_ it all was. All the guests were dressed regally in the finest silks and fabrics; everyone wanted to look their best coming to Volterra. Gold curtains framed the large windows and I noticed new stained glass decoration had been put in place. The room itself seemed to scream _occasion_.

The guards dispersed themselves and there was nothing now between me and the three vampires sitting on the thrones at the end of the room. I made my way over to them in an instant and bowed lowly. I held Caius' hands in mine and dipped my head as I bowed. His face held no expression, even when Athenodora, his mate who liked me a lot more than he did, squeezed his shoulder.

I rose up slowly and moved to the right in front of Marcus. As always his eyes were sunken, they held so much sadness but for the sake of my return he managed a small smile which meant the world to me. He was undoubtedly the closest thing I had to a friend and even though his condition was unchanging, it still pained me to see him like this. I bowed lowly again, pressing his hands to my face in comfort. We made eye contact for a fraction of a second and I knew he was pleased that I had returned.

I moved up several steps to the bottom of Aro's throne and knelt down at his feet. I kept my head down but rose when I felt his thin hands come down on my shoulders, urging me to rise.

"Oh child, it pleases me greatly that you have returned to us. Welcome home Isabella!" He stood on the same level as me and pressed his hands to my cheeks softly. I closed my eyes and let my shield fall away from me completely, leaving no parts of my mind protected. I felt his power as it filtered through all of my memories, paying special attention to what had occurred in the past ten years. We stood there for a number of minutes while he absorbed everything over and over again; making sure that he hadn't missed anything. I always allowed Aro to indulge in this way; it was a small price to pay for living outside of Court.

"_Fascinating, _you certainly have been _busy! _There were so many! And you my dear exercise such control, such _discipline_! Your mind is a rare treat for me; you _never_ cease to disappoint me." He clapped his hands together in delight

"I will always do my very best Father." I nodded my head and went to stand between his mate Sulpicia and bodyguard Renata who both smiled at me as I came over.

"That you will my child. Excellent! Now everybody has arrived! Friends, we are all here to celebrate the mating between Demetri of the Royal Guard to the lovely Adriana of Greece. I would like to thank all of you for being with us here today for this happy time but especially Isabella who has been away from us for so long. I offer my congratulations to the new pair, may their bond prosper!" A deafening round of applause spread throughout the hall and I would be surprised if the sound wasn't heard for miles around.

The ceremony was beautiful, as I knew it would be and if I could have cried, I would have had tears streaming down my face for the past few hours. I could see Demetri and his mate across the room and I smiled as he obviously tried to end a conversation with a member of the Amazonian coven so he could come over and greet me. I still hadn't had the opportunity to offer him my congratulations, but I was willing to wait. I stood with Marcus while I watched the mated couples together.

"Your time will come." I knew his hand would cover mine in support and I smiled up at him when it did. Nobody understood why I hadn't found my mate yet, or why he hadn't found me but I never gave up hope. After hundreds of years of being alone, I often wondered if there was something fundamentally wrong with me, after all I excelled in every other aspect of my life but being unmated was slowly becoming more and more of a burden every day. I rubbed my chest absentmindedly as I tried to quell the pain of being alone that was becoming more and more physical.

Vampires mate for life, and I longed for the day when I would belong to another and they would belong to me. The bond forged between the pair cannot be broken neither by distance nor death. Marcus' mate Didyme had been killed in an ambush three hundred and sixty seven years ago by a group of rebel vampires while she was hunting with her guard. The group were caught and suffered a very slow and painful death but nothing could and ever would ease the pain of losing a mate.

Ordinarily if a vampire should lose their mate, they have the right to come to the Volturi to plead for death, a wish that is always granted. It is said that there is no pain to rival that of losing a mate, not even the vampire transformation. Marcus is the only vampire I have ever heard of who has not been allowed to die at such a loss, I remember for years he begged his brothers to allow him to die but he was refused. If it had been allowed, the Volturi family would be incomplete and it was prophesized that the entire vampire kingdom would collapse, should the brothers not stay together. I personally didn't know what to believe.

Over time he accepted his fate but he has never known any happiness or anything but pain since Didyme's death. He is revered by vampires all over the world for being able to cope with such a loss, but he has no choice. Never again will he mate with another nor will the pain ever cease. I will always admire him for putting his pain aside for the sake of his brothers and for the protection of our secret, Aro may be our ruler but Marcus is undoubtedly the strongest.

I turned my gaze away from Marcus as I heard and smelt Demetri as he approached me. Marcus excused himself, he had already given his blessing during the ceremony and I knew he needed some time alone with his memories. Times like this were the worst for him.

"Isabella, please allow me the honour of introducing my mate Adriana. My love, Isabella is the daughter of the Volturi and one of the most extraordinary vampires I have ever known." They both bowed low to me and I smiled as they each took one of my hands.

"It brings me such happiness to see you mated Demetri, she is every bit as lovely as I imagined she would be. I congratulate you both." I made a careful effort not to make any movement towards the two, newly mated vampires could accidently perceive anything as a threat to their mate, so I had to let them come to me.

"Demetri has told me so much about you, it is such an honour that you came today, there are not words enough to thank you for your blessing." I turned to the olive skinned vampire in front of me and smiled at her compliments, I could tell she spoke truthfully, without any pretence or exaggeration. Her face was open and honest and her eyes bright, yes, Demetri had mated well.

"It was my pleasure to attend such a wonderful ceremony; Demetri is a skilled soldier and a loyal companion. I wish you both every happiness in the world." They both beamed at me and I was happy to answer the numerous questions he had for me about my recent time in America. Like Aro he was shocked by the number nomads still trying to turn vast numbers of humans into vampires, especially after the Southern Wars. Also like my father he had difficulty in understanding how I managed to resist the call of human blood, apart from when I was hunting criminals.

I decided a long time ago that I wasn't suited for life in the Volturi Court; instead I came to an agreement with my family that I would continue to guard the secret of our existence by eradicating those who threatened it and also eliminating as many human law violators as possible. I fed off murderers and rapists and arsonists, those who would pass under the weak human judicial system and continue to terrorise others. That was the compromise I had to make, I was allowed to live away from Court where innocent humans were used to feed the guard and rest of the Court but I had to maintain a partially human blood diet to make sure I was strong enough to carry out my work. The rest of the time I fed off of animals, although I made sure not to focus on any particular one too much, I didn't want to be the cause of a species becoming endangered. My diet was one of a kind but it was the only way I could live with myself.

The main chamber was mostly empty now; the majority of the guests had left to rejoin their covens and only the guard and residents of the palace were left. Jane fell into step beside me as I surveyed the room and I noticed Alec at the other end, watching us, he was never _too_ far away from her.

"Aro tells me you'll be leaving us again at the end of the week. I'm surprised; I thought you might decide to settle." Her eyes showed no emotion; Jane and I had never had a problem with one another, despite my ability to block her power. Even when we'd worked together in the past; there had been no disagreements of any kind. She was sadistic, true, but this was the only world she knew, she had no memories of anywhere else. Mostly I pitied her, she could not understand why I didn't want to make Volterra my permanent home, I loved my family, of course I did, but it didn't mean that I had to agree with the way they did everything.

"It is true, I will be leaving again. I do not know where I'll be going. I must talk to Aro soon." Apparently the conversation was over, I watched her walk away and smiled to myself, Jane's unique air of self importance she had about her never ceased to amuse me.

I took my time to walk around the grounds, it was dark again now. Over twenty four hours had passed since my arrival and I smiled knowing that my things would have arrived safely. I thought of the trinkets I had collected, there were small things, but they were all significant to me. Most of them were things I saved for my mate, things I wanted to give him, when I found him.

I was glad that Rosalie had apparently been successfully occupied in the time I was busy. I didn't bother knocking on her door, instead walking straight through into her room to find her picking apart an engine. Earlier I'd bet that she couldn't tune all the cars in the palace courtyard by the time we had to leave again. My challenge played to her pig-headed side and she'd spent hours furiously combing through the cars trying desperately to improve them in any way she could.

She didn't acknowledge my presence and I sat down in a chair opposite the desk where she was working on the engine and waited for her to say something. She was clearly agitated; she was moving the soldering iron around with great precision and every now and then moving something to the side carefully. Apparently things weren't going her way and I wasn't surprised when she threw the whole thing against the wall in frustration, causing not only a terribly loud noise but also the death of one of the stone walls. But that was Rosalie all over, _dramatic_.

She let out a growl of frustration and turned to me, her eyes blazing in anger. I stared dully at her in response and lifted an eyebrow to question why she was acting so childishly.

"It won't _work_! I've been trying and _trying_ for hours and it won't set!" As soon as she spoke, I knew the problem to which she was referring because the same thing had happened before. She was trying to manipulate a part of the engine into a different shape so she could slip something else in beside it, in order to do this she had to melt a few small parts but as soon as she touched them again, they cooled down, her cold hands rendered her tasks useless. And she couldn't wear gloves either, it wouldn't make much of a difference, and she wouldn't be able to be as precise as she wanted. I never bothered to learn the names of all the little bits, it didn't interest me.

"Try again Rosalie, be patient -"

"This is _your _fault, if I wasn't like _this_ then I wouldn't have a _problem._" I could sense her tantrums a mile away and it seemed that this time wouldn't be any different.

"Yes because you had such a passion for automobiles as a human." I murmured sarcastically, hoping she'd give up her theatrics.

"I _could have had_, but you took that choice away from me!" She stormed towards me as she spoke but stopped suddenly the moment the words were out of her mouth, at times it was apparent that Rosalie had little to no respect for me, but she _feared_ me well enough.

I spoke to her quietly, but in a deadly voice that I usually reserved for my victims.

"We are not having this conversation again; you are not to question my decisions. You must accept your life, for it is still _a life_." I left her standing there, knowing with absolute certainty that she wouldn't dare leave the room after I'd gone. I'd had quite enough of her for a while so I decided to find Aro and have the conversation about my future earlier than I'd planned.

Rosalie had always _struggled_ to accept this life. But I could never regret my decision to change her, even if she made it more than obvious that she resented me for it. It was not a selfish decision; I did not make her as a form of company for myself, but because I had never seen a woman so broken, so helpless and so betrayed by the man she was going to marry, the man she thought _loved her_. She refuses to believe that she would have died without my intervention, but her life would have been most certainly over, and I only wanted to give her a chance to discover what life could really bring her. So far she had not been as eager as I had hoped.

The door in front of me opened without my even having fully approached it and I smiled as my father welcomed me inside.

"Such patience you have Isabella. I daresay she wouldn't have lasted as long here." His tone was not critical but I knew he didn't quite approve of how lenient I was with Rosalie.

"She is young, she will adapt."

"She has passed fifty years now. You my dear were far less trouble to me; you were in fact a _delightful_ newborn." We both smiled at the memory and I sighed thinking just _how long ago_ that was.

"Perhaps she will be better living with the Denali coven; I understand you're hesita -"

"No." I cut him off and couldn't even find it in me to regret it, one time was more than enough, if I had anything to say about it; she wouldn't get to see them again, no matter how well she got on with.

I reached over for his hand with mine and explained my thoughts fully to him.

"Child, I often forgot how much humanity you have retained. As long as they are loyal, I must allow them to continue, they are at least discreet with their activities." I sneered in disgust as I sifted through my memories, thinking of the visits I had made to the Denali coven in the past; their ways had never ceased to disturb me.

I remembered the sight of the large piles of bodies around their cabins. The Denali sisters, Kate, Irina and Tanya were notorious for what they did. The only reasons they were allowed to continue were that they were incredibly loyal to the Volturi so they were well respected and they had governed the area by themselves peacefully for many years. There was not a human soul in Alaska who knew even the smallest detail about the existence of vampires. They were despicable but careful, and the latter was what Aro regarded as admirable.

Once they had lured human men into their territory they were used for pleasure by the female vampires, except the sisters had no regard for human life. No regard for the frailty of the human body. They fulfilled their use until they were broken, no matter how painfully or inhumanly, and then they fed from them one by one until all was left was a mangled pile of torn flesh and bones. And then they would move on to others. They had been living and feeding this way for hundreds of years and in my mind they were an abomination. Not only did they neglect to have any respect for humans, but in their actions they desecrated the act of having a vampire mate. This was now something none of them would ever know of; they had ruined their bodies for empty pleasure and denied themselves the highest honour of belonging to one vampire.

The only reason I allowed Rosalie to stay with them for the shortest time was because Aro _insisted_ and because it was essential that I travel alone with other members of the guard to visit the Transylvanian brothers to issue a warning. They had been somewhat _disrespectful _to our name.

"She will stay with me. I am her sire, she is my responsibility and she will honour the way I choose to live."

"Very well Isabella, I will respect your decision." 

"Thank you Father. I truly believe she will settle, I only wish for her to be content."

"Yes, I see this. But what about your _own_ contentment little one, this is of much greater importance to me." He didn't need to make contact with me again to know my thoughts on _this_ subject, they'd been painfully clear for hundreds of years.

"I must admit to having only achieved a _mild_ sort of contentment throughout my life so far, this is only for the lack of a mate. I could not have asked for a more enriching upbringing, you know that I am grateful for everything you have given me," he nodded his head in agreement and understanding and I took it as a sign to carry on.

"- but life without a mate, it is a _difficult_ existence. Has anybody gone this long before without being mated, without finding their other half?" He held my hand and I knew his answer was no, I was an anomaly of sorts; my life span was far longer than it took the average vampire to find their mate.

"No. But _you_ my dear deserve so _much more_ than average. I cannot think of a vampire in existence that would truly deserve you. But, I do dream of the day when you will walk through those doors together. No union could make me happier." He gesticulated with his hands intertwined together on the word 'union'.

"Thank you Father."

"Isabella, I feel your sadness, your loneliness, your _pain_ – it is much for one such as you to shoulder. I have counselled with my brothers on many occasions about this and while we may have showed our anxiousness for your bond to be forged with another in the past, we want you to be as happy as possible while you wait." I smiled ruefully, remembering the last time I stayed for an extended period in Volterra. Aro had summoned all of the known vampire covens to Volterra one by one, introducing me to every _unmated_ male vampire he could find in the hope of bringing my mating forward. His attempts were unsuccessful and Caius often teases me that I will find my mate in one of the out of control newborns I so regularly hunt. Needless to say his comments are never taken lightly.

"I am still capable of carrying out my duties as I have done in New York."

"If that is the way you wish to continue then I am happy for you to do so, you seemed to enjoy your time in America. But I understand your reluctance to return to a _city_, and while I do not understand your peculiar _diet_ little one, I know I cannot persuade you otherwise. With that in mind I want to send you to a somewhat _greener_ environment." I leaned forward when I realised he'd made up his mind. He smiled at my eager attitude and stood up from where he was sitting.

"Where must I go?"

"Seattle, Washington."

**Thank you for reading. I really hope you liked it; I've got quite a bit of this story mapped out in my head so writer's block shouldn't be a problem (in theory).**

**As always, please leave review with comments / suggestions / questions if you have any.**

**Also, if you're a 'Sight' reader, I'll be updating soon!**

**Thanks again,**

**Aurora**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer – Original characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, plot lines and characterizations, all belong to Aurora18, copyright November 2011.**

**I know it's been a long time, and I'm going to update 'Sight' soon but 'Caius and Aurora' is still a work in progress. Also I'm now TWILIGHTQUEEN858710's beta so please go and have a read of her story "On the Way To Seattle", it looks really good so far and it's only going to get better!**

**Thank you for reading; I promise I won't make you wait as long for the next chapter.**

_Last time…_

"_I am still capable of carrying out my duties as I have done in New York." _

"_If that is the way you wish to continue then I am happy for you to do so, you seemed to enjoy your time in America. But I understand your reluctance to return to a city, and while I do not understand your peculiar diet little one, I know I cannot persuade you otherwise. With that in mind I want to send you to a somewhat greener environment." I leaned forward when I realised he'd made up his mind. He smiled at my eager attitude and stood up from where he was sitting._

"_Where must I go?"_

"_Seattle, Washington."_

**Chapter 2 – Predator**

"I don't like it." I let my eyelids close shut in exasperation. Of _course_ Rosalie would complain about our new home the _moment_ we stepped off the plane.

She'd been like this all day. Apparently she was making up for the fact that she had behaved surprisingly well for the rest of our time in Volterra by irritating me for the duration of the thirteen hour journey here. Peter had flown with us to London from Rome but I assured him that we would be just fine on the flight to Seattle; I think he'd had enough of her by then anyway.

For a vampire with an inordinate amount of time on their hands, Rosalie rarely read, so I was surprised when she did not immediately reject the literature I had given her about Seattle. It appeared that she had not been expecting much to begin with and was even more disappointed when her fears were confirmed.

Seattle was a lot colder, wetter and cloudier than New York, and far less populated, by humans anyway. She was probably one of the only vampires I knew of who was perturbed by the _lack_ of sun. She told me the heat on her face in the evenings made her feel human, with this in mind she had managed to accuse me that even though she was now a vampire, I was _still_ stealing her humanity. Of course I was.

I was forever stealing something, denying her something, forcing her into something, it didn't matter that I had saved her; she would always see me as her killer.

But I was not upset by this, I had done the right thing, and I stood by my decision.

Despite having been to the area before, long before it was recognised as a state of course, I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the place. It was still a city but in contrast to New York it was surrounded by the most beautiful National Parks that I couldn't wait to explore. Even after over seven hundred years, the sight of green open spaces calmed as well as pleased me.

The air was so very different here compared to our last home, I inhaled unnecessarily and enjoyed the smell of the earth under my feet which was predominant, and then the smells of the animals in the trees and the smell of the humans around us, blood and sweat and that sweet, very _particular_ essence of humanity.

I looked around me and liked what I saw, we didn't have much luggage but the day was overcast so we could walk around freely. I could really imagine settling here for a while, I wasn't sure how long, but I preferred it far better to New York.

"Where are we going?" Rosalie was equal parts impatient and curious. I wouldn't let her wander off on her own just yet so she needed to follow me to see where we would make our base.

"I don't believe it to be too much further." That was all the information I was willing to give her for now. Often with Rosalie I found if I answered one of her questions, she'd have fifty more for which she wanted answers.

I'd asked Aro to secure us a residence here as I was unfamiliar with the area and when Demetri had been in charge of protecting the state he had taken no permanent residence. He had told me it was at the top of a hill behind a collection of trees and nestled in the heart of one of the forests. Even the situation of the place sounded ideal and I found myself becoming more and more excited to finally see it. I had the address on a piece of paper in my bag but I already had it memorised.

After a couple of hours of walking at a human pace, at my insistence, we reached our destination and I turned to her with a small smile on my face. I probably looked happier than she'd seen me in years.

"It's…cosy." She was being sarcastic of course, but that was Rosalie. I knew she'd protest about the size, but she always failed to observe that things were often bigger on the inside than they seemed on the outside.

"Yes but this is just the house, the rest of the surrounding land is ours too, all the way down to that little river we crossed." We had around five acres of land which meant that we were wonderfully secluded but also very close to the nesting areas of many animal species. At least there would be a great many hunting opportunities.

"You mean the one that ruined my shoes?" I just nodded my head to her in reply and she turned her head with a huff. I could have replied that walking across land in expensive stilettos was a silly idea in the first place but she wouldn't have listened to my advice.

I walked through the front door first and had a quick look around the place, although I already knew from the plan I'd seen which areas I would assign to her and which ones I would allow myself to inhabit.

"I will have the basement and the top floor; you may store your things and live in the space in between those two. Under no circumstances will you enter the top floor but you are free to use the basement for storage should you need it, although I expect even you won't be able to fill all of this space with your clothes and shoes."

"Fine, but just so you know I could fill this whole _house_ with shoes let alone clothes too." I wasn't sure whether to doubt her or not.

Ever since an incident in New Orleans where one of my mother's hair combs had been broken by Rosalie who was looking around in my things, I have insisted that she not be allowed in my personal space. Not that I carried many personal items on me, but now and again when we travelled I liked to collect things. Mainly things that I would be able to give to my mate as gifts when I found him, I had a small collection of them here but an entire room full back in Volterra.

I carried my things up to the attic and smiled secretly to myself at the thought of having so many things to eventually present my mate with. I was filled with a sense of pride and accomplishment when I thought about how happy it would surely make him. I had fine furs of several animals that were now extinct, precious metals that I'd spent hours gently carving into particular shapes and different sizes. I had wood and stone carvings from eastern vampire tribesmen that had been given to me as gifts, gifts that I would of course pass on.

These were only a few of them and I kept mainly the smaller items with me when I travelled, such as the titanium ring on a thin chain I'd moulded out of its ore. It was so light but it was an incredibly strong metal; I had to handle it carefully lest I break it.

I looked around the space I had chosen and realised that even though it was the smallest of the floors in the house, it was still far bigger than I was used to. I wouldn't have nearly enough things to fill it with.

If only there were another with whom I could share. I didn't often let my mind wander to my loneliness but sometimes it was truly inevitable. Being without a mate for so many years was a phenomenon to the vampire world but a constant pain and burden for me. As a species we were meant to belong to another, it was not normal for us to exist solely by ourselves, with not another soul for a companion. It was part of the reason I had created Rosalie.

Aside from the circumstances in which I had found her which made me make the decision to allow her to die or bring her into this life with me, I created her out of a hope that she could provide a little reason to my existence. I had toyed with the idea of creating a companion before, of the female kind of course, I wouldn't _dream_ of creating a male companion whilst being unmated. The very thought was horrendous, and laughable, but mostly horrendous.

I thought perhaps I might be able to share a sort of friendship with her that I had witnessed between so many humans before. It was very apparent that human women tended to befriend those of their own sex more readily than males. I thought that sharing a friendship with another female vampire would alleviate the pain of being unmated, but I find that it has not lifted my spirits as I had hoped it would.

In fact it hadn't lifted them at all…

It took me mere minutes to unpack my things and place them in the positions I found most desirable. I stared at the room; it was like a blank canvas with a couple of dots of paint splattered around haphazardly. The room had no life, nothing to show about its owner. I imagined bringing my mate here, having him inhabit this space, I'd buy him hundreds of things; anything he wanted to put in here would be his. I'd often wondered what he'd be interested in and I wanted to fill rooms and hallways with things for him but unless I knew what he liked it was difficult to guess.

It was no use speculating, I would make up for lost time when we found each other, and then I would provide him with anything and everything.

In turn he would look after me, he would be stronger and faster than me of course, but he would care for me in a way I had never known before. I'd only read about it and seen it from other vampires. I tried to imagine what strong arms would feel like wrapped around me but I found that I couldn't, because I had nothing to base it on.

Rosalie was still arranging her things in her rooms when I walked downstairs to make my way outside, she nodded a smile at me that she was happy with the place and I continued on my way outside.

I walked around the perimeter of the grounds for several hours, memorising each detail of very feature, noticing how the ground undulated slightly with every step I took because the forest was at the top of the hill and therefore far from flat. I seated myself on the ground at last in the middle of a small meadow on the outskirts of the property, the side that was the furthest from the city. I could see all the flowers hiding away from the lack of sunlight at this time of night, yet I could see hints of all their colours. The various violet and yellow shades of the flowers caught my interest in particular and I thought about the startling contrast they'd make in the light of day.

Cushioned by the soft grass beneath me I lay back and revelled in the peace and tranquillity I felt at being in such a wonderful place. I could hear Rosalie moving things around but it was not a disturbance and I could easily tune it out.

I stared up at the stars which looked so close and brilliant yet they were actually hundreds of thousands of miles away. I'd never taken the time to learn the various constellations and had never had any motivation to do so before. Perhaps gazing at the stars was an activity, amongst other things, that I could share with my mate. It would make me so very happy to be able to lie here next to him, to make him realise that as powerful as we were, we were but fragments of a universe that was infinitely bigger than us.

The melancholy swept over me as I knew it would and always did whenever I allowed myself to entertain these kinds of thoughts for too long at once. There was no use fighting it, but over the use it had not gotten any easier to cope with. I breathed unnecessarily through the crippling pain in my chest and wanted to sob as I felt it creep through the rest of me as it always did.

For a vampire melancholy was as much a physical feeling as it was an emotional one. It was only known to unmated vampires or those who had lost their mate. Truthfully I wouldn't wish it on anyone. My eyes glistened with unshed tears and I reached a hand up towards the sky tentatively and then immediately regretted it.

I felt stupid, it doesn't matter how many thousands of hours I spend wishing it, he's not going to fall out of the sky and land next to me.

_Wherever you are, whoever you are it does not matter. When I find you I promise to show you how much I love you every day for the rest of our lives._

I closed my eyes and resigned myself to another lonely night which would surely turn into another lonely day.

"I suppose there's a reason we couldn't have done this last night." She huffed in her usual way and as usual I ignored her. I observed our surroundings and thought over what I had planned for us today.

We were going to hunt.

But I was almost pleased because we wouldn't be killing anyone today, no; today we were going to sample the local wildlife. I took her deep into the forest just to be sure because even though she was slowly starting to control her thirst, I didn't want to take her into the city on our first day.

"Now I know you've been used to more of a human diet but now that we're here that's going to change. We must respect the various species and this will require us to hunt in different locations, but I'd like us to follow a diet consisting of animals for the most part."

"But there are plenty of people in Seattle, they're not running out, and what about blood banks, we did that before remember?"

"Yes I do, but if you remember correctly those were different circumstances and the donated blood should only be used in an emergency. The humans need that spare blood more than we do."

"So does that mean I can work with you?" I could tell without looking at her and just from her voice that she was getting excited about the prospect of a human diet.

"It means that you may observe and listen and take note of the procedures when I hunt both humans _and _vampires."

"I'm not so keen on killing other vampires, but I get to feed right?"

"You will take only what you need to sustain you from the ones we find guilty, but don't get greedy." I turned to look at her now and her dark eyes almost seemed to sparkle with something akin to happiness. I wish I felt like that. I wish something as simple as blood would thrill me or please me. The truth is that nowadays I regard it more as a necessity, I still experience hunger of course but I have no urge for human blood as Rosalie does, but then again I am a lot older and have had time to learn discipline.

"This is of course if you maintain an animal diet for a while, which also mean that I want clean kills and buried carcasses. We must still respect them. Without them we'd be no better than savages feeding on human blood all the time." I spoke softly to her, knowing that she was listening. I knew that while she craved human blood as all vampires do, she also wanted to be able to act like a human as I did compared to an animal, as some of my family in Volterra did.

I nodded approvingly as she jumped down from the tree we were perched on and attacked the black bear about a hundred feet away from us. I almost rolled my eyes as I considered how she went for the biggest most powerful kill but felt a small sense of pride when I saw her go for the neck and drain him quickly. She was hardly ruffled as she got up and brushed down her clothes and I enjoyed hearing her huff _again_ when she spotted a few green stains from rolling around in the grass with the bear.

She only took a couple of seconds to settle back on the tree we had started out on and as soon as she was seated I shot off running through the words, chasing the scents of the herd of elk I had caught earlier. I grinned as I pounced over two of them, taking them both down at once.

Snapping both their necks so they would not suffer unnecessarily I'm sure they hadn't had time to realise they'd fallen before I'd killed them. I drank without urgency but tried to derive more than my usual level of satisfaction from feeing but no, there was nothing else. I stroked both their heads once I had finished draining them and smiled at how lovely and soft they were.

I buried them quickly and neatly, together of course and deep enough so that nothing would be able to dig it up again.

"Why do you always do that?"

I knew what she was referring to. Why did I always pick a mated male and female for prey instead of one or the other or one of each?

"Because they deserve to be together, in this life and whatever else comes next. I would not separate one beloved from another."

"Is that why you were outside for so long last night? Because you were thinking about him again…?"

"Of course I was thinking about him, he is always present in my mind."

"I don't get it; I know you've explained it before. You don't even know who he is so how can you think about him? I mean, what's the point?" I shot her a look so fast and furious that she stepped a little further away from me; it was a good precaution to take.

"I don't expect you to understand, but I also don't expect you to ever insinuate that me participating in any activity relating to my mate is pointless." I knew my stare was icy cold and she did look afraid of me and my cold hard voice but that kind of talk just wasn't tolerated.

"I'm-, well, I didn't mean it. I apologise." I didn't acknowledge her apology but she knew that I'd heard it, if I was displeased with her I probably would have broken off one of her appendages.

We spent the rest of the day looking around, walking at a human pace but running properly if there was no-one else around. She liked Canada, I told her about the snow that would come in the winter and she liked the idea of that because she'd never seen 'American' snow, would difference it was to Italian snow I had no idea.

"You will be alright to stay here?"

"Yes, I'm going to re-decorate, like I told you ten minutes ago."

"Just don't make too much of a mess."

"But can I knock down that awful wall?" Apparently the dividing wall which stood between the kitchen and the supposed dining area was just awful and needed to be gotten rid of. If it keeps her quiet it might be a good thing.

"Yes – but remember, not too extravagant." The problem with Rosalie was that she liked glamour, fashion, luxury and people being jealous of what she had. I think decorating rooms gave her a sense of purpose, just so long as she didn't go upstairs things would be fine, but she was a clever girl so she wouldn't _dare_ do that.

I felt lighter than I had in a long time and maybe it was because I was going to get some real time to myself in my new home city.

I jumped over the river fluidly and found myself on the outskirts of the town. I wandered around for a while, taking in the sights with people bustling around me, unaware that they probably just pissed off a vampire.

I wasn't hungry at all and wouldn't be for a while but I noticed something strange as I walked past the city museum, it was not open for visitors due to a new exhibition being set up but the smell I caught as I went past was strangely familiar. I stopped for a moment, not moving any closer but studying the scent that was present behind the doors, it was definitely not a vampire scent and from the sounds of it there was more than just the one human remaining in the building.

I decided to remember everything about the sent I had smelt as I walked past the museum. The voice was soft, belonging to a man and the scent was very slightly appealing but nothing extraordinary. Perhaps I would investigate later on; I was in no hurry now so I had time.

It was hours later but I still continued on my touristic route of the city, walking past the Space Needle and the market, admiring the smiling faces of the people standing and chatting with the bookkeepers or sellers.

And there it was again…

It was that smell but it was infinitely stronger. I felt the pain in my chest start to expand and all of a sudden it snapped back into place as if it had achieved its goal. I looked around me and noticed a number of people observing me strangely.

Well I had been gritting my teeth and grasping my chest with my hand. Luckily the feeling had passed, I wasn't sure why but as I walked along the path on the side of the road, I was hit by it again. Only this time it really _was_ stronger. It felt like someone was trying to drag me somewhere by my chest but I had no idea why my body was forcing me into an unknown direction. I felt the incredible urge and temptation, no _need _to be near or at least _closer _to this thing that was pulling me in.

Clenching my fists I walked forward faster, still maintaining a socially acceptable and physically plausible speed for a moment but I felt that what was around the corner ahead of me was the cause of this new peculiar feeling. As I got closer and closer the pressure began to lift again, and the most incredible sensations spread through me from head to toe. I'd never felt something this intense since my transformation and that was a bad feeling, but this was most definitely _not_.

A part of me was scared, apart from the thrill of hunting someone I rarely experienced such emotional extremes, seeing whatever was around this corner was going to be important-, no _vital_ to my existence.

Could it be…_him?_

I could feel my eyes widen, my throat clench and venom pool in my mouth as I rounded the corner, looking in front of me, I searched around me desperately to find the source of this _thing_.

I was about to turn in the other direction when I saw it, we were on a long straight road with many turnings and avenues branching off from in but the creature that had just turned the corner and come into my view was the only thing I really registered.

I had to stand still, I couldn't physically _move_ with all the feeling that was coursing through me, if I had been a human I would have surely died from the intensity of it.

He was magnificent, extraordinary, the most radiant, incredible thing I'd ever seen. He was still quite far away but I could see him clearly. He was perfection.

I've found him, he's _here_. My _mate_.

Suddenly I didn't care about the people around me, I didn't care what havoc it would cause if I ran over to him at an impossible speed. It was him my body was pulling me to; it did not make sense for me to be anywhere else in the world other than at his side. I allowed the happiness to seep into my every pore and let out a laugh that sounded so light and cheerful I barely recognised it as my own.

It was over, centuries of loneliness, my years filled with depression, all of it was behind me. I'd found what I'd been waiting for my entire existence, my reason for existing was him and now he was here, in front of me, and we would be together for the rest of eternity, I would never have to part from him. He would always belong to me and me to him.

_Mine_. I could think of nothing else but claiming him and couldn't wait for us to be united.

As I started to move closer I noticed something that stopped me in my tracks and had me rooted to the ground.

There was no other vampire scent in the vicinity. All I could smell was human blood, human sweat, I could hear the wet pumping of his heart, the shuffling of his feet. Vampires don't shuffle their feet, there is no blood to pump and their hearts don't…

Oh my…

I did the only thing I knew would stop me from taking him right there, I slipped into an alleyway and scaled the building next to me. My view from here was still as clear but no-one else would be able to see me.

It was only once I had allowed myself a couple of seconds to calm down that I was able to admit the truth to myself.

_He is my mate, but he is a human. How can the two possibly be related?_

The monster in me felt like she was trying to claw her way out of my body to get to him, she wanted to be reunited with her other half, as I did.

But he is not a vampire, he's a _human_.

As advanced as my mind was, it still seemed like an impossible concept to wrap my head around.

_It doesn't matter._

I could think over this for hours, even days but I knew I would arrive at the same conclusion. He is my mate, yes he is human but I've waited seven hundred and fifty one years for him and his humanity isn't going to stop me.

Pleased with my revolution I began to look and watch and just _stare_ at my future.

He was tall, from this distance I'd say he was six foot two but he may be a little taller. His hair was scruffy, it hadn't been washed in a day or so but the colours were just _beautiful_. I could clearly see the reds, browns and even blonde parts. To the human eye it would probably appear to be a coppery brown but I could see everything, I could appreciate the perfection of every strand on his head and watch how it moved as he walked.

His form was slim, not particularly muscular but I shivered in desire as I raked my eyes over his body. I'd never known desire before, but I'd seen it exhibited a million times so I could recognise the powerful heat coursing through me. The thick red jumper he wore seemed old and didn't fit him properly as it seemed to be too big but it was my new favourite piece of clothing because it was what _he_ wore.

His black trousers were also old and torn at the bottom as their dragged along the ground. I couldn't see his face as he kept his head down and his hands shoved in his pockets as he shuffled along. I desperately wanted to look into his eyes, into the eyes that would adore me as I adored him. I wanted to hold the hands that would protect me and love me for the rest of time. I wanted to memorise every feature of his face and marvel at the beauty I knew I would find.

Throwing caution to the wind, and not caring whether it was right or not, I followed him.

I'd just found my mate and now I wasn't ever going to let him go.

I smiled properly for the first time in hundreds of years and pursued him.

**I hope you like it. I like the next chapter better because she gets to see more of him (up close) and things are a little lighter.**

**Please tell me what you think, I've got so many ideas for this story and I always love hearing people's thoughts on what I write. **

**Have a great weekend!**

**Aurora**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer – Original characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, plot lines and characterizations, all belong to Aurora18, copyright November 2011.**

**Thanks for all your reviews, if I get lots for this one I'll try and update on Wednesday.**

**I felt so bad for making you wait five months for a chapter before I thought I'd best get this one out pretty quickly.**

**I really hope you like it and please let me know what you think at the end, I really appreciate your comments. **

_Last time…_

_Throwing caution to the wind, and not caring whether it was right or not, I followed him. _

_I'd just found my mate and now I wasn't ever going to let him go._

_I smiled properly for the first time in hundreds of years and pursued him._

**Chapter 3 – Instinct**

_Mine_

I struggled to keep a hold of myself but I knew that I had to keep my composure. I couldn't lose control and appear next to him as I wanted. I couldn't pull him into my arms and lay claim to him as I craved. I couldn't do any of this because my mate was human and as such did not recognise me as his mate the way I had recognised him as mine.

I knew enough about humans to realise that their relationships worked very differently to ours. We mate for life, once we find our equal, our other half, there is and never will be anyone else we are capable of existing alongside as a mate. I had not seen the face of this man, this _human_ man as he had not seen mine, but my body knew what it had been waiting for all this time. I felt it within me, as sure as I knew that I was a vampire and as sure as I knew that I needed blood to survive, I knew that this man was my mate.

_Finally_

I pushed aside my dark thoughts of breaking conventions and practicality as I jumped down from the top of the building into the same small alleyway I had crept into only minutes before. I needed to be closer, just a little nearer to him, so that we might share the same space and walk the same path.

There were several people in front of me, but as we walked I never let myself get too far behind him, just far enough so that he would not notice me but close enough so that I could keep a very close eye on him and feed my need to be close to him.

I felt the warmth fill me again, it felt like I was melting on the inside and I truly couldn't help the blinding smile that took over my face. I kept my face turned down so as not to startle the humans around me with a display of my white teeth. My fingertips tingled with the need to touch him and it was a good thing that my coat and had deep pockets that I could trap my hands in so as to resist temptation.

With my hair around my face, all dressed in black, I was sure that I blended in among all the other people walking around the city of Seattle on this particularly cold albeit early evening. I could not deny myself any longer and I looked up at the man who was closer to me than I had realized.

He had either slowed down or I had sped up, it was no matter, because now I could _really_ appreciate another part of him. His blood smelled sweet, tantalizing and spicy and it was undoubtedly the most delicious scent I'd ever had the pleasure of inhaling. Not that I had any desire within me whatsoever to feed on him, any act that had the potential to cause him any kind of harm was disgusting and incomprehensible to me.

But it was not just his blood that smelled so good.

It was his…essence, his _humanity_, the scent of his skin and just _him_. I couldn't wait to feel intoxicated by him; I would surely spend hours memorizing every part of him, his scent, his mind and his…_body. _

I knew of the relations that occurred between a man and a woman only in theory, I understood the mechanics, and I'd _heard_ more than my fair share from the other mated couples in Volterra. It was something I'd always hoped for, longed for, but I never quite understood why I wanted what I did, because I was unmated.

But now, now I had another, I had found my heart and I wanted to give myself, _every part_ of me to him. I couldn't wait to belong to him always, I knew in my mind and in my body that I already did but he did not yet know who I was. I knew I needed to wait for our introduction, I needed to prepare myself, I needed to learn everything about him and alter my behaviour slightly so that it may be deemed acceptable for human courtship.

He tripped on an uneven piece of pavement and I let out an involuntary growl and _forced _myself not to rush to his side. If I were to go to him now I wouldn't be able to stop, I'd lay my claim to him in front of all these people and I could be a danger to him in my haste. Luckily for my sanity he did not fall, but corrected himself as he carried on. I heard an exasperated sigh leave his lips and my heart ached in compassion for him; in compassion and love and adoration, and everything else that my heart could contain for him.

I was not concentrating on which direction we were going, only that I was following _him._ It came to my attention as I dragged my eyes away from his form temporarily that we had entered a poorer neighbourhood, it was not dirty or dangerous looking but it seemed sad, downcast and just a little hostile.

Did he live _here_?

I wasn't sure how I felt about it. On the one hand he would never be in any danger ever again because I would always protect him so it didn't make any difference where he lived, but on the other hand I wanted him to have the best of everything, because I certainly had the means to provide for him.

I hid behind the apartment building as he paused at the front door to use his key to enter. I looked around me quickly, searching for a way to watch him without being discovered. I couldn't believe my luck when I saw that there were a couple of thick trees to the side of the building that I quickly climbed and perched on, missing my love already. I knew exactly which room was his, the scent of him was strong enough to direct me, it was by the window and I would be afforded an uninterrupted

view if I were to remain here.

I waited patiently, clenching and unclenching my fists in my excitement to finally see him properly. Several minutes passed and I reminded myself that since this apartment building did not seem to have a working lift, he would have to walk up three flights of stairs to get to his room. I would allow him another few more minutes before I'd begin to panic.

Just as my wits were nearing their end I heard him place the key in the lock and force the old door open. I internally beseeched him to look up and I was not made to wait for long.

All my previous descriptions had been inadequate, grossly so. He was just magnificent. From this distance I could see him clearly, _all _of him.

His eyes were captivating, I couldn't imagine the effect they'd have had if they were actually looking at me but I was enthralled by the deep verdant green. They reminded me of my new home and suddenly my mind was filled with daydreams of us lying together in the meadow I had lay in just last night, we would gaze into each others eyes and I would tell him how much I adored him.

His jaw was sharp looking which was quite incredible for a human, they were usually so much softer and rounder looking than vampires but the definition in his face was simply stunning. His nose was straight and almost completely without imperfections and it pleased me to see that he had had no occasion to break it in the past.

I followed the natural path from the top of his jaw to his chin and bit my own lip as the feeling of looking at his lips for the first time coursed through me. They were so pink and soft looking, so very tempting and I could only imagine what they would taste like, what they would feel like pressed against my own. Venom pooled in my mouth as my eyes quickly darted to the pulse point on his neck but his desire rather than bloodlust I felt.

_Mine_

Next my eyes wandered to his hands as he pulled his heavy backpack from his shoulders and set it down upon his bed. His fingers were long and lean but still they looked strong and powerful and the mere sight of them caused deep stirring in the place between my legs. I wasn't surprised, because for the past half an hour everything about my mate had been arousing me but it was such an unfamiliar but welcome sensation.

I watched with rapt attention as his fingers slid the zip down from one side of the bag to the other and as I once again considered the beauty of his masculine hands I was struck by the idea that they would be perfect for a pianist. I was flooded with thoughts and images of sitting him at a piano and playing for me, I could only imagine how graceful he would look as he bent over the piano in concentration, his fingers flying over the keys effortlessly, making the most beautiful music for only me to hear.

I decided that as soon as we were properly acquainted, and as soon as it was deemed socially appropriate for a couple to give each other gifts, that I would buy him a piano, a grand of course. I could see it now, seated in my attic in my new cottage, we would make music under the stars, and I knew that it would make me incomprehensibly happy.

There were some things that worried me though. His skin was slightly paler than it should have been, I suspected this was some sort of iron deficiency, he clearly didn't have anyone looking after him on a regular basis, well if he did then they were doing an abysmal job.

I smiled smugly because even if he did have a human care-taker, it didn't matter anymore, I was going to look after him and the sooner I could do that the better.

He was also a little thin, I'd say that for a man of his height he wasn't consuming nearly enough the amount of calories that he needed to sustain him. I wanted to rectify that as soon as possible, even if I couldn't feed him yet because we didn't know each other, I'd make sure he'd never go without food from now on.

I inhaled deeply and widened my eyes in fascination as he walked towards his window and gazed out into the night.

_I'm here my love; everything's going to be better now that I've found you._

I rested my hand tentatively against the tree and imagined the feel of my hand on his chest which would allow me to feel as opposed to just listen to his heartbeat. It had quickly become the most wonderful sound to me. The thump, the swish, the relaxation of the muscle, it was what was keeping my love alive and it was beautiful.

I felt a sharp pang in my chest as he walked around from the window, shaking his head slightly as he went. I had to remind myself that he had not seen me and therefore he was not rejecting me, but nonetheless that was what it felt like. I sat enraptured as I watched him move books around his room, which was entirely too small in my opinion, and gripped the tree a little harder when he bent over his bed to pick something up.

The slither of flesh that had been revealed to me as his t-shirt slid up his back was a mouth-watering temptation. I knew my eyes would be slowly turning to black despite having fed fairly recently. I wasn't going to hide my desire for my mate, neither was I ashamed of my feelings.

I stared in awe as he removed his shirt and shoes, I couldn't bring myself to look away, but at the same time I did begin to feel a little guilty for watching him so closely. He didn't know there was a female vampire invading his privacy barely twenty feet away from his window.

He kept his head down most of the time so I never really got a good look at his face which was a shame, not only because he was clearly uncomfortable even in his own home but because I was getting impatient. Well, all in good time.

I was both frustrated and relieved when he left his pants on as he walked to his adjoining bathroom. I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to handle but I didn't want to miss a thing. Already the urge to claim and mate and _join_ with him was painful, but I was patient, and I knew I could control myself and do things properly. I'd been waiting for this for so very long, I wasn't able to ruin it with my haste.

The desire pooling between my legs when I heard the sound of his shower turning on didn't help an awful lot.

Now that I couldn't see him I was able to concentrate on looking at the condition of his room. My previous observation that it was small was _entirely_ correct. It seemed as though the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom was one big room, although there was a separate door to the bathroom, it still occupied all the same space.

Considering that he was a full grown man, who was not short by _any _ means, I imagined that living in such a confined space would be terrible. All of his surfaces were covered in books and papers, and he seemed to be fairly _behind _on his dishes as well.

It was even clearer to me now that he had no-one looking after him, I knew that humans could be vile creatures but nobody in their right mind would allow him to live in such discomfort. I raked my eyes over the various papers and was able to ascertain quite a lot about him, apart from his name.

He was an employee at a coffee shop, it was not a commercial brand as I did not recognise the name, but from the looks of it, he had an enormous number of hours to work per week. The next thing I noticed was registration papers for college. So he was a student…and apparently he was studying microbiology. I smiled, his intelligence was just another thing I could add to my mental list of his attributes.

I had completed a great number of degrees over the years and I had to admit that the scientific ones were my favourite. I smiled as I thought about how much we'd have to talk about, we hadn't even met yet and we already had something in common. I considered it a great success.

I inhaled greedily as I continued my speculation of his apartment, his scent was incredible, but it wasn't my blood for which I thirsted, it was just _him_. I frowned in annoyance as the only clue I was able to find as to his name were his initials at the top of his work rota.

_EC_

I could have spent hours and hours deliberating over all the names I had ever heard and wondered what his could be, but my mate had stepped out of the shower and I wanted to close my eyes and imagine the cotton towel being rubbed over his delectable skin but I daren't lest I miss his reappearance.

Unfortunately he re-emerged wearing plaid pyjamas and while I was incredibly disappointed to see that he did not sleep naked, at least he would have less chance of getting ill if he kept himself warm.

I felt a pain in my chest as he walked over to his desk to see if he had any money in his wallet, only to find it empty save for a couple of dollar bills. He must be paying an awful lot of money in rent to have no money left after he has been paid, he was not too far from the city centre so his rent _could_ have been high and he didn't seem like he spent a lot of money on himself.

Perhaps that's why he was _thin_, he needed feeing and as soon as I could, I'd make sure he never went hungry again. He needed to put on some weight, which meant that I needed to learn how to cook.

I'd approach Rosalie in the next few days about buying some equipment and ingredients.

I gripped the tree a little too tightly when he stepped up to the window and pulled his flimsy curtains closed. It was a true test of my patience to wait the fifteen minutes it took for him to fall asleep. I wasted no time in leaving the tree behind, climbing through the open window and into his room.

_Finally_

This room, despite being completely inadequate for my mate, was _saturated_ with his scent. I let it permeate my every pore and grew heady in its abundance. I gasped as my eyes met his face and suddenly my desire to explore his room and learn more about him had quelled, because here he was, right in front of me, unaware of course, but _so close_.

He was even more glorious up close, I didn't bother trying to tell myself that I was stepping closer to his sleeping form to be able to see him better. I could see him perfectly from where I was, even in the darkness.

"Oh my," my voice was but a soft whisper but the sound of it filled the room along with his slow melodic breaths.

I knelt down so I was face to face with him and studied him carefully. The skin of his face was scarred, not too viciously but I could tell that it had been caused by years of acne, I whimpered at the thought of my love being in any kind of pain or discomfort. His eyebrows were thick and a lightly darker shade than his hair. The dark skin underneath his eyes displeased me and I frowned because I realised it meant that he had not been getting nearly enough sleep. My poor love looked _exhausted_.

I reached my hand out to touch the comforter that was covering him and beamed in delight as I felt how warm it was already.

That's _his _warmth, it's _his_ body making it like that.

His lips were a rich pink colour and I sighed in appreciation, it was an incredible contrast to his pale skin and it only made them look more inviting to me.

I swallowed unnecessarily and prayed to every God I knew of that this next step would not prove to be too much for me and that I would be able to stay in control. I listened to the constant beat of his heart as a reminder to keep a hold of myself.

"Give me strength, please." Feeling every muscle in my body relax, and making sure that I was completely in control, I pulled myself up to a standing position and then lay down on the bed next to my love on top of the covers, not touching him at all but still incredibly close.

I felt like giggling in pure delight and I allowed my smile to completely take over my face. Since I was already in bed with him, I decided that taking it one step further would do no harm. It felt like forever to me, but it was probably only a couple of seconds, but I slowly touched my hand to his that was on top of his pillow clutching his comforter.

It was only the pad of my fingertip to his knuckle but the sensations that coursed through me were mind-blowingly strong. It was as if I'd never felt _anything_ before, it was that different to any past experience I could reference.

"I can't believe you're here, after all this time, I'm _finally_ here with you. You're more than I could have ever imagined, I just…this is so much, I've been waiting for you my entire life and now I have you. I'm not ever going to let you go, I'm going to love, cherish and _adore_ you more than any creature ever could." I punctuated my words with the lightest of touches along his knuckle, revelling every time I felt the shock course through me, which was now more of a constant sensation.

"I'm going to look after you now, you won't ever have to struggle for anything, whatever you want, it is yours my love.

I just know we're going to be so happy, I'll do anything I can to make you feel as wonderful as I do now. Lying here with you is undoubtedly the most wonderful experience of my life, and even though I've been alone for what feels like an eternity, these few moments I've had so far with you have been so much more than worth the wait."

"You are my entire world now, my everything and I'm going to spend every moment I have making sure you know how much I love you." If I could have cried, I would have been in floods of tears at this point, having waited so many years for him meant that my emotional outburst would not be over within minutes, more like _hours_.

I stayed with him for the entire night and as well as doing a lot of staring and admiring, I was able to think a little more rationally than before.

I would of course have to tell my family. I knew at some point that they would want to meet him, I think I will have to tell them as soon as possible, after all ours is not such a _traditional_ bond as perhaps my family were hoping for. But they will be accepting of him of course, even Caius pities my single status and he rarely deigns to show much emotion to anyone other than Athenodora.

Aro will be pleasantly surprised but thrilled nonetheless. I would stay with Edward no matter what, I would abandon my family if need be and anyone else I knew but I desperately wanted to make my father proud. I had been feeling as if I were failing him for all these years, being one of the only unmated guards in the ranks. I think he will be perhaps the most understanding of our peculiar situation, he has always supported whatever I have wished to do and even though we have never seen any examples of vampires and humans becoming mated I believe he will be proud.

I tried not to think about Marcus, but after mentally addressing the other two main members of my family it was impossible. It would please him greatly to see me mated, but I didn't want to cause him unnecessary pain by flouting my happiness. I would not be able to help it if I were around him, I wonder whether I looked any different now I had found my reason for existing. I was beginning to understand what people meant when they said that losing a mate was the most painful thing a vampire could experience, I knew that even considering being apart from my love would be excruciating so I didn't.

I saw the time that was set on his alarm clock and realised that he could be waking up anytime within the next half an hour. Grudgingly I set myself a target of fifteen minutes to move from his side and out of the apartment building. It took a lot of mental preparation from me, every part of my body was protesting any movement I made to leave him, my heart and mind was telling me that it was wrong to move away. I had to grit my teeth with the effort and if I had been human I would have been sweating profusely but finally after thirteen minutes and twenty nine seconds I found myself standing next to his bed, much the same as I had been less than nine hours ago.

The time had gone quickly, _far too _quickly, but I reassured myself with the thought that it would be the first of _many_.

"I love you my darling man., and I'll see you _soon_."

He had a work shift that started in two hours and I planned on being one of the first customers through the door.

I was nervous, I couldn't remember if I had cause to feel nervousness in my human life but I had _certainly _never felt like this in all my years as a vampire. I was walking to the coffee shop, about ten blocks away at this point, to see my mate. I had made a trip to the bank to withdraw some money this morning, something I hadn't had to do in quite a while. I wasn't sure how much my trip would require, but I had taken out a couple of hundred dollars just to be safe.

It was an overcast day but my mood couldn't have been brighter, I wasn't sure whether I should have worn something different than what I was wearing yesterday but Rosalie had been out hunting when I had gone back to the cottage very briefly. She probably would have found it very strange that I be asking her about clothes for the first time all of a sudden. I'd have to sit down with her and not only talk about cooking but also the fact that I was now _mated_ and things were going to start to change.

Change, it felt like my whole world had been turned upside down, and in a way I suppose it had.

I made sure not to walk too fast toward the shop but I was afraid my excitement might get the better of me. Sooner than I had expected I was standing across the street from the coffee shop with a muddy green awning barely covering the sign with the highly original name; "_The Coffee Cup Café."_

I thought it was too much alliteration, but perhaps they were successful, if they weren't making much money, they would be soon, I planned on becoming a very loyal customer.

Hoping my smile didn't make me look like a deranged vampire I walked across the street and through the door of the establishment.

Unfortunately the first thing I smelled was coffee which was…unfortunate because it was disgusting but half a second later I recognised _his_ scent and looked around frantically for him. I frowned when after a couple of seconds I couldn't see him _anywhere_.

I walked up to the counter only to see a young tanned man of about twenty three with his jaw hanging open and staring at me. How unpleasant, and how _rude_, I knew that humans couldn't tell when others were mated but in the vampire world such behaviour would be considered a violation.

I could smell him but I couldn't see him, it was _beyond _frustrating.

I managed to ignore his unfortunate behaviour and was about to ask him if there were any other members of staff round when a customer began clicking her fingers at him for a refill. He looked terrified and I would have been too if I were human, she was wearing entirely too much make up for her age and her clothing was too tight. It was a horrific sight.

"I'm really sorry Miss, but I need to serve this customer, someone will be along in just a sec ok?" I nodded my head at him in affirmation.

"Edward! Get on the till I've gotta serve." The young man had poked his head around the corner into what I presumed to be the staff room and I heard an audible groan come from inside.

Edward, was that his name? Was I about to see him again? I tried not to fidget too much but it was really very difficult. I did not like the way the young man had spoken to Edward and decided that in the near future I would be giving him some lessons in courtesy.

He rounded the corner, shuffling his feet as I had seen him do yesterday and if my heart had been beating it surely would have stopped. My eyes widened in the hope of being able to take in more of him at voice, I was overwhelmed by him.

He made his way up to the counter and flexed his fingers several times before looking up at me.

_Green_.

I was able to process many different thoughts at the same time as a vampire, but when I was met with those inconceivably beautiful eyes I couldn't help but stare transfixed.

I watched the movement of his mouth as he prepared to speak and felt myself leaning closer to catch every nuance of his speech.

"Oh, um…uh, hello, wh-what can I g-get for you?" His head was still ducked down marginally but he was making eye contact with me and I was utterly blown away. I glanced down at his nametag quickly and was pleased to see that his name _was _Edward. What a beautiful name.

"What's your favourite drink Edward?"

"Uh, um, excuse me?" I giggled at his confusion, I was only asking _his _favourite so that I'd know how to make it for him in the future.

"What would you choose if you were ordering a drink?"

"Well, I'm not sure, probably the, uh, the c-cinnamon s-ssspice mocha."

I nodded in the affirmative and waited patiently while he made the mocha and mixed it with a small cup of cinnamon syrup, topped it with foam and then a dash of cinnamon powder. He was obviously very nervous, his hands were shaking a little but I was thrilled by his every movement.

He grimaced as he set the cup down and some spilled onto the saucer. I didn't mind one bit but he seemed really very worried about it. I held my hand out to stop his fussing and very gently placed my fingers on top of his. Fortunately for me I expected the shock that ran through me at his touch; he evidently did not.

His eyes were wide like saucers and he kept looking from my face to my hand but all I did was smile at him. He told me the price in a sort of daze and I happily handed over a fifty dollar bill, requesting that _he_ keep the change.

"I'm sorry, I,. um, I'm not very g-good at making these."

I shook my head in disbelief and made sure I looked him right in the eye when I said to him,

"You're perfect."

**Please let me know what you thought, I got a great response from the last chapter but I would love to hear from more of you this time. **

**Have a great weekend!**

**Aurora**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer – Original characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, plot lines and characterizations, all belong to Aurora18, copyright July 2012.**

_Last time…_

_He grimaced as he set the cup down and some spilled onto the saucer. I didn't mind one bit but he seemed really very worried about it. I held my hand out to stop his fussing and very gently placed my fingers on top of his. Fortunately for me I expected the shock that ran through me at his touch; he evidently did not. _

_His eyes were wide like saucers and he kept looking from my face to my hand but all I did was smile at him. He told me the price in a sort of daze and I happily handed over a fifty dollar bill, requesting that _he_ keep the change. _

"_I'm sorry, I,. um, I'm not very g-good at making these."_

_I shook my head in disbelief and made sure I looked him right in the eye when I said to him, _

"_You're perfect."_

**Chapter 4 – Preparation – Part 1**

I watched enraptured as a blush bloomed up his neck and lightly across his cheeks, the pink seemed to light up his pale skin wonderfully and I was thrilled that I could have that effect on him. I could not help but frown as I realised that he was looking down and it was not flattery that he was experiencing but embarrassment. I wondered why that would be so, surely my darling couldn't _doubt_ my statement, did he not think of himself in that regard?

I could see his mouth moving and I presumed he was going to contradict me so I placed my fingertip gently across his knuckle still holding the coffee cup, as I had done last night, and beamed in joy as his eyes shot to mine once more. It was evident that the bond was forming, slowly unfortunately, in vampires it was fierce and instantaneous but I could imagine that with humans it would be much slower; I imagined that that amount of emotion would be impossible for them to process all at once.

I relished in the tingle of what felt like electricity running between us and the frown disappeared from his face but instead confusion replaced it, I smiled even wider, surely this must all be very strange to him, but all would become apparent soon enough.

"Thank you for my coffee Edward. My name is Isabella, and I am very pleased to have met you." I stared right into him as I spoke, and his eyes widened in surprise, although as he nodded his assent, the smallest smile began to take over his mouth and it warmed me in a way I hadn't felt in all of my years as a vampire. Instead of saying anything else, I sighed in contentment and walked away to my table.

I was happy to find that even though I was walking away from him, it didn't feel like I was leaving, it wasn't nearly as difficult as leaving this morning. That had taken a monumental effort on my part. I situated myself at a table where I could face Edward as he moved around the coffee machines and the bar that separated him from the customers. I was also pleased to see that even if he went into the staff room, the door of which was slightly ajar, I would still be afforded a fairly good view of my love.

Edward.

_Edward…_

What a wonderful name…now I had only to find out his surname. The lack of knowledge did not bother me though, because now I knew his name. I could tell Rosalie and father and the whole Volturi the name of my mate, my Edward, my wonderfully handsome and perfectly perfect love. I shook my head at myself, I had never imagined that I could be this happy, here I was sitting in a semi-crowded coffee shop about eight metres away from my mate and I think it could have been the happiest moment of my existence.

I realised that soon I would be able to make a list of the memories I had collected with Edward, a timeline of the moments we had shared together so far. I bit my lip and shook my head in disbelief at my happiness but as soon as I looked up I was met with the sight of Edward staring at me with a perplexed expression on his face.

Perhaps he was wondering what was making me so happy, I wanted to scream and shout that it was _him, he_ was the source of my joy and ecstasy. I wanted to run over to him and tell him in every way how much I loved, adored and cherished him. He ducked his head shyly as my gaze met his but I remained transfixed by him, it had not escaped my notice that he wore no wedding band, and I had detected no scent of any other creature in his apartment.

How had a human female not begged him to be hers by now? He must have women beating down the doors at his home in the hope of getting to spend just a little time with him. But he was unattached…he was 'single' as I had heard it termed and I knew that he must be waiting on something more than just the fragile human attachments that I had seen formed hundreds of thousands of times over the years.

Without even knowing it, he was waiting for his mate…further proof that we belonged together in every way, as if my heart screaming it at me wasn't enough.

I stiffened as I noticed that the tan young man from earlier was coming over, I did not appreciate his scent invading my periphery but I managed to hide my disgusted grimace. My gaze remained on Edward though, and I winced a little when he tripped on a loose tile but recovered when I saw that he was alright.

"Hey, so I noticed you haven't drunk your coffee, everything alright with it? Ed can be a little…"

"I'm sorry, who?"

"Who, what?" I sighed in aggravation, stupid human.

"To whom are you referring?" Hopefully simplifying the question would aid this humans' understanding.

"Ed, he's the guy that made your coffee, look he can be a little clumsy but…" I held my hand up to stop him; I simply could not listen to any more of his tripe.

"First of all, the man to whom you are referring is Edward, which is his name, it says so on his name badge, and secondly my coffee is perfect, it's just the way I like it. Finally I would like to point out that the floor of the preparation area has a tile loose which is what is causing him trouble, I suggest that you remedy that problem as soon as possible." I slanted my eyebrow up at him to make sure he knew that I was being serious, but I didn't want to be too intimidating lest my love deem that an unattractive attribute of mine.

"Right, yeah, I'll get on to that." The boy was clearly put out at being put in his place but he was obviously compelled to do as I had told him to.

"Excellent and I have one last thing to ask, would it be possible for you to send Edward over when he has a spare few minutes please? Thank you." I watched as the boy was unsure as to whether or not he should question me about why I would want to talk to his colleague, instead he should gave me a strange puzzled look and turned around to head back to the coffee machines.

I glanced at the clock on the wall and realized that I had already been in here for two hours and had not drunk my drink. I scolded myself internally, I hoped that Edward had not noticed and thought that it was anything to do with the drink itself. He wasn't to know that vampires don't drink coffee, or that I wasn't human and didn't drink or _eat_ like he did. I held my breath and gulped it down furiously being careful not to wince at the saccharine taste. Of course I had tasted worse things but it wasn't something I would drink again if I had a choice, although I would suffer for my Edward if that was what it took to be close to him during his working hours.

A number of minutes passed and the swell of customers that had previously occupied the two before had died down and they were left alone at the front to talk where they thought no-one could hear them.

"Ed…hey Ed, you see the girl on table four? You'd never guess what she said to me, bitch is crazy." I laughed quietly to myself while still looking at Edward; the other little human had no idea who he was dealing with. If he did he wouldn't dare speak so disrespectfully, I had seen others destroyed for saying less than that to the royal guard.

"She's n-not cr-crazy Sam." The other man ignored him and carried on but I smiled when Edward just shook his head in disagreement. My mate was supporting me even though we had not bonded, I just knew this wasn't a mistake, how could it be?

As he was talking to him and telling Edward how he would have given me his number had I not been so strange he looked around at me and I met his gaze with smile. My poor dead heart jumped with joy when he returned it and shook his head, maybe he was blushing again. I couldn't wait to see.

"Man, are you even listening?" Edward was nodding his assent that he was but I could tell that he was distracted, I would be too if I had to listen to his colleague's foul language and strange way with words.

"Anyway she said to send you over when you're done so you can take your break then I guess."

"W-why d-does she wa-want to talk tt…to me."

"Crazy bitch remember? I didn't stay to ask why." I leant back in my seat as I watched my love sort himself out, he ran his hands through his hair and he seemed to be tugging at it nervously. Why on earth would he be nervous? I eyed him intently as he hung up his dish cloth and stuffed his apron behind the counter before he came over to me. It was obvious he was going to take his break as Sam had suggested. I looked over at the clock and was pleased to see that it was a standard lunchtime for humans so I presumed that he would be bringing over some food with him.

I frowned as I saw him walking over empty handed; he didn't even have a drink with him. Surely they provided some kind of free-drink policy for employees, how else would he be able to afford lunch?

I smiled appreciatively and encouragingly as he walked over to me, it was nowhere near fast enough for my liking but I enjoyed the extra time it afforded me to appreciate the sight of his body with every step he took towards me. He was by far and away the most handsome man I had ever seen, in the vampire and the human world.

When he arrived opposite me he seemed to struggle with words and I could see him attempt to mouth some things but failed. I waited patiently for him but unfortunately I could see him internally punishing himself for his trouble in speaking, I couldn't have that.

"Hello again Edward, please sit down." I winced at my formal tone, I didn't sound right in this context, but I wasn't sure as to how to adapt my speech to sound more like a young woman of his time.

He nodded gratefully and sat down slowly in the chair opposite me, he seemed too big for it almost, he was very tall and his limbs were fairly long, I surmised that it was the chairs that were the wrong shape and size rather than him.

We sat like this for a couple of minutes, in companionable silence but I could sense that his nerves were becoming a problem for him. He had both of his hands on the table slowly making tears in a paper napkin. I could stand it no longer and he jumped when I put my hands on top of his to still them. I closed my eyes at the feeling of euphoria as our hands touched, I desperately wanted to link our fingers but I felt that was a little too intimate at this stage, I was struggling to be subtle with my affections and I did not want to scare him away.

"H-how, how was the c-c-coffee?" He had averted his eyes towards our hands and seemed to be in wonder at the feeling we shared. I knew he could not possibly understand what was going on, but I enjoyed the feeling of our physical bond slowly being formed, I could feel it slowly growing and strengthening the more time we spent together.

I waited for him to look at me before I answered and when he did I smiled widely at the beautiful sight of him and his bright eyes that were shadowed by dark circles indicating a weariness that he should not have to feel.

"It was wonderful of course, thank you Edward; after all, you were the one to make it for me. I hope that your girlfriend knows just how lucky she is."

Of course this was only a half truth, I knew that he was unattached but I wanted him to confirm it for me, and for him to know that I wished to be known as his other half. The terms 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend' in modern English had always confounded me; it seemed like such a strange contradiction to express a romantic attachment to another person by adding the word 'friend'. Needless to say that this was something that was never said in my world, Edward and I are mates, even though we are not yet bonded in the most physical sense, we are considered partners for as long as we both shall live, and even after that.

"M-my girlfriend?" He seemed confused, and he probably wondered why I was making such a statement.

"Yes, surely there is someone in your life…" He interrupted me by shaking his head quickly from side to side and I hoped that my statement had not been too bold.

"Well, I must say I'm surprised, shocked even." I pretended to look at him in disbelief, but really I was ecstatic that he was able to admit his lack of attachment to anyone so freely.

"W-why, why w-would, why would you say that?" His brows had creased together and he had his head cocked to the side.

"I think you're the most handsome man I have ever seen and today has been one of the best days because I have met you." His mouth dropped open and I desperately wanted to cup his jaw with my hand and feel the soft scarred skin beneath it. No doubt it would be the most wonderful thing I had ever felt. I wanted to add that this day and yesterday had been the best days of my entire existence but I didn't feel it would be appropriate to explain everything now.

The physical and emotional shock as he pulled his hands away from mine was unexpected and I winced from the pain of the separation. I looked up at his face and I saw a mixture of annoyance and disbelief, what had I done wrong?

"If, if this is s-s-some kind of pr-prank then it's not f-funny." His jaw was clenched and aside from his obvious anger and discomfort I found him devastatingly attractive.

"Edward, I would _never_ make a joke at your expense, I wanted to be honest, I told you exactly what I was thinking, and I will only ever tell you the truth. I am sorry if I have offended you my love, believe me it was not my intention." I held out my hand for him on the table, apparently this time he was a little wary but he edged his fingers forward until our fingertips were touching. The shock this time did not surprise him but he seemed mesmerized by it.

"Do you feel that my love?" He nodded at me whilst seeming in a trance and I wanted to explain to him in a small way how much he meant to me.

"What I feel when you are touching me like this is better than anything I have ever felt before, just today you have made me happier than you can possibly imagine. Thank you Edward, a thousand times thank you." I wanted to worship him in every way a vampire can worship her mate, as a woman can to a man but it would not be appropriate, both in this public setting and in terms of how little he knew me.

I felt like I was unravelling my love's secrets a little more with every look he gave me, every quick glance, each searching look, I learned his mannerisms and his most minute of movements as he stuttered through his words. Each detail was more enchanting than the last and I knew I could spend eternity watching him, following him, if he would allow me.

"Isab-bella?" I looked straight at him and urged him to answer with an encouraging smile.

"Am I dreaming?" He whispered to me in a voice so quiet I don't think there was volume enough for his stutter.

I shook my head at him, "that was what I thought when I walked in this morning to this establishment, but I know that my mind could not have created you on its own. I am as real as you are."

"R-right, ok, well, u-um, o-ok, s…so you're an angel then?" I knew he wasn't trying to be flirtatious, but I felt myself wanting to blush anyway, my love thought me to be angelic, I could not ask for a higher compliment.

"I am whatever you wish me to be." I had heard a similar smutty line uttered in many an awful film production but my response was the most truth I could offer. Of course I would become anything that he needed me to be, that was my role, my purpose in life now, to please him and to be exactly what he wanted.

I closed the distance between our hands and clasped one of mine around his in a bold move of intimacy; it pleased me to see that just as I did so the right side of his mouth lifted into a small smile. Our peaceful moment was disrupted however when he realised how cold my hands were, I had been enjoying his warmth and didn't think for a moment that he would find my unusually cold temperature startling.

He stared down at our joined hands and frowned and I immediately asked him what was wrong.

"It's just, I d-d-on't have annny gloves, but if…if I d-did then you could ha-have them." He seemed embarrassed by his own admission and I didn't like that he looked ashamed.

"Please don't worry, I have a…condition, which means that my circulation is very poor indeed, I'm always like this I'm afraid." He nodded his head but still wouldn't meet my eyes, it seemed my love could be very brave in our interactions but he was still very shy, I was proud of him for the progress we had already made today. I wished that I could tell him of the real reason why I was so pale and cold, but even in my haze of love for my mate I knew that I would have to earn his trust before revealing my secret. Hopefully I would not have to wait long.

"But thank you anyway, for the offer; it was very generous of you Edward." He exhaled at that, and if I could see his face I am sure I would be able to see his blush, luckily being what I am I could hear the blood rushing to his cheeks, which would turn them a rosy hue.

"Have you eaten today?" I almost certainly knew the answer already but I had to be sure, he was too thin for his tall, slender frame.

He didn't give me a verbal answer but instead nodded his head, unfortunately this gave him away but quickly afterwards I heard his stomach growl. It displeased me that he felt that he could not tell me the truth but it just affirmed the need for me to look after him in another way, I couldn't bear the thought of my love going hungry, not when I myself had so many resources at my disposal.

"Wh-why…why are you here?" His eyebrows were creased together and he looked at me in a puzzled way, I thought my intentions had been clear enough earlier on, did he not understand that I was here for him and him _only?_

"I would have thought that was obvious." It saddened me that my mate could not sense my desire for him, even if he was only human. Why was it that humans were so inept at reading the feelings of others when things were so clear? I had not taken my eyes off of him in all the hours that I had been here, surely he must understand, but clearly it was still not very clear to him.

His hands left mine and for a few minutes we were both silent as he held his hands in his lap. My heart broke for him when I could hear his ripping little rips in the paper napkin he held in his lap, I couldn't comprehend why he would be nervous around me. Of course humans normally had some sense of self preservation and felt wariness towards our kind but this should not affect my Edward.

"You have no reason to be nervous my love, none at all." He looked up at me sharply then and sat up to his full height which was quite impressive in the creaky, awful plastic chairs in this place.

He seemed to be looking for something in my face and I couldn't help but stare back at him, he was inquisitive but clearly afraid to voice the questions in his head. I watched his mouth move as if to silently rehearse what he was going to say before he said it and waited patiently until he was ready.

Something in my periphery caught my eye and I held back a growl as I watched Edward's colleague come over here with a cocky look on his face, clearly he had gleaned from watching us that our interaction was not going well because we had not been talking very much.

"Ed, I need you in the back, the washer's broken so I'll stay out front. _Now_ would be good." He didn't even ask him a question, he merely _ordered_ him around. I gritted my teeth in frustration, hating the way my mate was being spoken to; nothing like this would ever occur in the vampire world, people simply had more _respect_ than that.

I turned to address this despicable human as I stood up, "do you really think that's an acceptable way to talk to your colleagues?" I could see him waiting to respond when Edward interrupted us both.

"It-it's f-f-fine, I'll g-go." I turned to look at him in a mixture of shock and just a little bit of disappointment, how he could allow this man to speak to him in this way I could not understand. Sam was smug as he walked off and left us alone once again.

Just as my mate was about to go I looked him square in the eye. "Do you want to know the reason I asked you to come over to me?" When I knew I had his full attention I place my hand on his forearm and smiled as I felt the electricity of our bond jump from me to him, I could tell he could feel it was stronger this time as he was slightly taken aback. The more time we spent together, the more our bond grew, and even though my love would not be able to name what was happening, I hoped that he would start to understand the significance of it.

"Please take care of yourself my love, and enjoy your lunch." He gave me a small smile in return and I moved my hand down from his arm to his hand and gave his fingers a very gentle squeeze. I revelled in the tingling feelings running through me and gave my love a parting smile as I departed; I had plenty of work to do now.

"Until next time Edward."

I left him no time for any parting comments, the time I had spent with him was taking its toll on me, and it was not that I lusted for his blood but rather for his body. The more time we spent together technically 'un-bonded' was becoming more and more difficult. Every fibre of my being was telling me to mate with him, to seal the connection forever and make him truly mine and me truly his; alas the rules of human social interactions did not permit this at this early stage.

I had to be more patient, clearly in all of the hundreds of years that I had been alive and alone I had not accumulated enough of this specific skill to prepare me for this. But I would continue to do all that was best in preparation for being the true companion to my love.

I walked quickly, probably faster than was normal for a human, to the delicatessen I had passed on my way to where Edward worked. It was clearly popular as there were people queuing out the door, I had to wait for twenty minutes for all the people inside to be served and leave and as soon as I could I entered and shut the door.

"Good afternoon Miss, what can I get for you?" I watched the man closely and I was pleased to see that he seemed to know what he was doing, he spoke to me as he moved fluidly around the preparation area, he moved with the grace of having worked in the same place for years. I was glad to see that I was dealing with somebody who would not get my request wrong, after all this was very important.

"I am afraid I have a rather unusual request for you Sir, I'd like you to make me a sandwich." The man looked at me and had to hold back a laugh, I suppose the way I spoke wasn't so acceptable all of the time, I would have to work on that.

"That sound pretty usual to me ma'am, what do you want in it?"

"Well that's the thing, I don't know." I was feeling completely inadequate; I was trying to provide lunch for my love without even knowing what he would like to eat. I sighed at my lack of ability in this venture.

"Well is it for you?"

"No, it's for someone very, very dear to me. I want to give him lunch but I don't know what he likes, I have not known him for very long you see. What do you think a man would like in a sandwich?"

"Well he sure must've made one hell of an impression on you! Let me tell you what I'm gonna do, my son Johnny used to play baseball in high school and when he had practice, he always ask me to make him one of my specials, so I'll pack up a nice, big one of those for you, that ok?"

"That sounds wonderful, so long as it's nutritional and will fill him up; I don't want him going hungry."

"Trust me, he won't know what hit him when he has this, I only offer it to special customers 'cos you know not everyone can appreciate a good sandwich when they see one." He happily got to piling the ingredients together for his masterpiece, to me the different components smelled horrendous, but the man seemed pretty confident that it would be more than alright. I just hoped Edward liked it.

"Quite right too, and if it isn't too much trouble, would you be able to deliver it to him please? His name is Edward and he works at 'The Coffee Cup Café'."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind seeing your pretty face again if you were giving him this."

"I only ask because I am afraid of coming on too strongly, the last thing I want is to scare him away."

"Sweetheart, after he's had this, he'll follow you around like a lost puppy." I laughed with him at that, if only he knew how much I wanted that, I much I wanted Edward's approval and love.

"Thank you, I really appreciate this. I have just moved in to a new house and the kitchen is not exactly equipped with anything, otherwise I would have tried to make one myself. Here, I hope this covers the cost of your trouble." I watched his eyes bulge as he took in the sight of the fifty dollar bill that I had given him, he started to shake his head in protest but I gave him a look that said that there was no point in disagreeing with me.

"No problem Miss, and I hope he knows just how much you care about him, I'll talk some sense into him if not." I read the name on his name badge and thanked him again.

"I hope so too Joe, I really do."

I stood on the other side of the road as Joe closed up his shop temporarily and walked over to The Coffee Cup Café, I was nervous and excited to see what his reaction would be, but mostly excited.

I watched Joe as he entered and greeted some of the patrons by name; he seemed to be very popular, I was glad that I had made a good choice in asking him to make my love's lunch. I wouldn't have known where to start, and this way I would have time to prepare and gather the necessities to look after Edward in the future.

I could see him standing at the counter talking to Sam who tried to take the sandwich bag out of his hands. I was pleased to see that as he was instructed, Joe didn't hand it over and waited for Edward to appear from where he was working.

I couldn't help but gasp as my love stepped into view; he was sweaty from working hard and fairly messy from washing the dishes, although I still found him to be devastatingly attractive. He seemed puzzled as to why he was being handed a sandwich from 'Joe's', and informed Joe that it was not his as he had not ordered any lunch.

"You are one lucky guy, kid. If I were you I wouldn't let that girl out of your sight because she sure is something special, so don't screw it up." I smiled at the compliment, but I hoped Edward realized that Joe was talking about me.

I saw him mouth my name to himself and I felt so proud, he seemed taken aback by my gesture which was exactly what I was hoping for. He accepted the bag and turned to walk back into the kitchen with a smile on his face and his head held just a little higher, there might have even been a spring in his step.

This was just the beginning, if this small thing pleased him then there was no limit to what I could do for him. My mind was coming up with hundreds of ideas and I smiled at my accomplishment, I was one step closer to my mate and the thought warmed me like the feel of his hand against my heart.

**So I know you've had to wait a long, long time for this chapter but if you could let me know what you think I would really appreciate it. If anybody has reviewed 'Substance' in the past few months, I have your reviews marked for a reply so I will get back to you tonight, but in the meantime, thank you all very much.**

**Aurora**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer – Original characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, plot lines and characterizations, all belong to Aurora18, copyright November 2012.**

**Unedited, but I have struggled a lot with this chapter, so that is part of the reason for the hideous delay.**

_Last time…_

_I saw him mouth my name to himself and I felt so proud, he seemed taken aback by my gesture which was exactly what I was hoping for. He accepted the bag and turned to walk back into the kitchen with a smile on his face and his head held just a little higher, there might have even been a spring in his step._

_This was just the beginning, if this small thing pleased him then there was no limit to what I could do for him. My mind was coming up with hundreds of ideas and I smiled at my accomplishment, I was one step closer to my mate and the thought warmed me like the feel of his hand against my heart. _

**Chapter 5 – Preparation – Part 2**

I stood the other side of the street opposite the coffee shop for some time, if I listened carefully I could make out the sounds of him undoing the sandwich bag and taking his first bite, I blocked everything else out, the traffic of both cars and people and all the other background noise that was in my hearing range. I closed my eyes and smiled to myself, I pictured his long, lean fingers carefully undoing the paper wrapping and then gripping the sandwich as he raised it to his mouth. Truthfully I should have been shocked by how sensual my thoughts were, before finding my mate I wouldn't have known that I was capable of such things. Those kinds of thoughts and simply never entered my head before seeing Edward, previously I had felt no desire for any other male vampire; it would have been illogical because of course, none of them were my mate.

Everything is different now, my duty to the Volturi, to my family, has been compromised. When I make Edward aware of what I am and what I have to do, if he disagrees and tells me to stop then I must obey, if he declares that I must cease these duties, then they will fall to someone else, he would be perfectly within his rights to do this, he is the most important thing to me now.

But there was still someone else I had to attend to before making the preparations for my love; I wondered what Rosalie would think of all of this? It was simply a matter of curiosity, in the end, her opinion held no weight. Nonetheless I had to make my way back to her, I did not doubt that she had stayed at the cottage as she knew to do when I was away, but I suppose that if she had ventured into the surrounding forest it would not be so bad, I just didn't want her anywhere near the city, she wasn't ready for that yet, she gave into her instincts too readily and did not possess the necessary will power to discipline herself without me.

I sighed as I made my way at a human pace through the city until I got to the forest line of the National Park, at which I started to run _properly_. Even if she did not make some kind of fuss, she was bound to present some kind of difficulty; she would not be Rosalie otherwise.

So I was not at all surprised when as soon as the cottage was in my sight, she opened the front door and fixed her steely gaze on me, tilting her head to one side in a curious, passive aggressive way. Nothing could distract me from thinking of my love, so her theatrics would not bother me at all, I noticed that as I stepped closer she stepped back in shock, her eyes bulged and her jaw dropped. Her expression was a mixture of confusion and shock; I knew she was registering Edward's scent and I thought it best that we have this particular conversation outside; I did not want her breaking anything in there.

"Rosalie, there's something I would like to speak to you about." I regarded her carefully, she seemed rather unsettled by the whole thing, her nostrils flared and she was by my side in half an instant. I knew reasonably that she could smell a human and that was what compelled to come so close to me but because Edward is my human I had to defend him, I growled lowly at her and she jumped back five paces, seemingly embarrassed that she had reacted in that way without meaning to.

"I think it would be better if we went to the clearing for this particular conversation." I turned and ran and felt reassured when I could hear her running behind me, she never ran ahead, it was a general mark of respect for older, more superior vampires, and even if it seemed like Rosalie did not respect me at times, her instincts certainly told a different story.

"I don't understand." She was clearly trying to comprehend the two seemingly impossible things she was sensing together, I did not push her; I wanted to give her time to come to terms with it.

"In part, neither do I Rosalie."

"What does this mean?"

"It means that I am mated, these past hours have been the most significant of my entire life up to this point. All that I have waited for has been realized." I allowed myself a smile then, and my heart warmed once more, I knew I needed to have a serious conversation with Rosalie but my elation for my mate could not be quelled.

"But your scent, I don't understand! When Demetri was mated, at the ceremony, you could smell that it was he and Athena, yours is, it's not a vampire is it? How is that even possible?! How did you not tell me about things like this? Is it even moral by the Volturi's standards, surely it's breaking some law because I can smell human all over you. You reek of it, as if you've bathed yourself in some kind of essence other than blood but then your eyes are the same colour." She was becoming frantic now and I gripped her shoulder hard, forcing her to look at me and to calm herself.

"Child, do not confuse yourself. Close your eyes, what is it you can smell?"

"You, but not the same as last time I saw you, now it's more, it's more complicated and dynamic, constantly moving, changing, but still you."

"Yes, and what else?"

"And human! You smell as if you've slept in a sea of bodies for months, years! But it's just one scent, one human, one man, and that's what I can smell in your scent, it's like it's trying to combine the two, but it's not complete, it's like nothing I've ever smelt before."

"Rosalie, you know that now I am mated."

"With a human? How is that possible?"

"That I do not know. But yes, he is human and also my mate."

"But you're not bonded yet, but I can smell it, it's just not finished yet, it's like you haven't, oh…"

"Yes, we are unable to physically consummate our bond at this moment, I am sure you can understand why."

"Yeah, just, wow. I mean, does he know? He can't know right because he's human, I mean HUMAN for fucks sakes!"

"Rosalie, maintain low tones, you have been surprisingly calm up until now."

"Calm, I'm in shock! It's all going to hit me later and I'll freak out, actually I think I'm at that point now. You can't mate with a freaking human!" Enough was enough; I had had enough of her disbelief. My hand clutched her throat tightly and I could hear her struggling to take breaths she did not need whilst also trying to speak.

"Rosalie, you cannot possibly fathom the patience I have shown you all these years since I sired you, but all that will disappear if I believe that you are disregarding my mate in _any_ way. Are we clear on that?"

She nodded her head infinitesimally with the amount of movement my strangle hold allowed her. I rarely used any physical force against her so it also shocked her a bit when I did. I released her and sat beside her with my back against a tree trunk.

"Everything's different now isn't it?" She stayed down on the ground, laying and looking up at the sky as if trying to come to terms with it all.

"Yes it is."

"You haven't told him yet have you?"

"No."

"Yeah, good luck with that. How do you even start that kind of conversation?"

"I imagine the opportune moment will reveal itself in due time."

"That's your way of saying you don't know. I still can't believe how different you smell, it's like you're a whole new vampire."

"In many ways I am." I could not help but smile once more, so many things would change, and some already had.

We stayed this way for a few minutes, me in quiet reflection while Rosalie tried to understand the significance of my bonding, mating in general was not something we had talked about often.

I thought about how much I missed Edward, how much my body ached to be closer to him. It was physically painful being apart, something I hadn't truly understood about mating until I had experienced it for myself. And then of course there was our unconsummated bond burning away at me, it seemed that every moment I delayed our physical union, I was being torn apart. The urge was greater than my thirst for human blood before I learned my immaculate control, and I could not help but imagine what it would be like. In an ideal world, I would know every which way to please a man, I would not be nervous and I would not falter, but sadly I had little to no experience to guide me.

I had faith in the fact that our bond would guide me what to do, a vampire becomes whatever their mate needs, and I had no doubts that ours would be the same, I just needed to be even more patient, it would be a number of days before I could get to that stage with him, I almost wished I could hurry the time along, but I knew that it was important that we have this time to get to know each other.

"So, what happens now?" She tried to act bored and unaffected, but I could tell that she was curious. Of course, this was a big change for her as well.

"We must prepare, after all, Edward will be spending some time here eventually, and we need to ensure that this place is habitable, I do not want him going without while he is here."

"Do I _really_ have to shop for human food? It's such a sickening experience." I felt the urge to roll my eyes at her dramatics, she would have to get over her disgust, and I could admit that none of it smelled pleasant to me, but it was nothing I could not stomach for my love.

"No, but we will have to buy some. Place a call to one of the shops where they deliver food, I would like to learn how to…cook." Rosalie looked at me as if I had just said I was going to paint her nails, a mixture of shock and horror.

"We're going to _cook?!_"

"No, pay attention, I am going to learn how to cook, or re-learn how to cook, whichever way you look at it."

"This is weird, and 'the place where they deliver food', that's take-out."

"How simplistic."

"Yeah well that's how people talk in this century. I know your people talked with cave drawings and grunts but you'll just have to adapt ok, people will notice otherwise."

"I am not prehistoric, child." I think she knew that my good mood was such that she would get away more frequently with talking to me in such a manner. If I was not so happy then she would have had a limb removed by this point.

"So we buy some nasty food, you learn how to cook, what else?"

"I have a task for you. I want you to go back to the cottage, place a call to the delivery food people, and then begin forming a list of everything we will need to furnish the cottage to meet his needs."

"You're going to let _me_ design the cottage? I know you said I could re-decorate and knock down that hideous wall but…that's probably the best thing you've ever asked me to do."

"Yes, but you must remember what I said, you are not to go up to the top floor, and you must store anything you need in the basement. I do not want you making too much mess. And of course anything you wish to buy I will have to approve first."

"So there's no limit on what I can spend?"

"No, my mate deserves the best; I could not possibly put a price on his comfort."

"You should buy an apartment in the city, for when you and Edward want to be alone, or I can stay there while you two are here?"

I was incredibly suspicious; Rosalie simply did not do things for others. "That is very generous of you."

"No, I just get to spend more money, and buy modern stuff for an apartment, you can approve all the stuff again, but this could actually be fun. I'm not going anywhere _near_ the cooking though, I'll leave that one to you."

"You are so kind." I looked ahead of me, having already forgotten about the redecoration plans and was back to thinking about Edward.

I was walking back towards the cottage and I heard Rosalie follow behind me, as a rule she never walked in front of me, unless I specifically asked her to, it was one of the only signs of respect she ever displayed, although I think she did it more out of instinct than choice.

"I expect what I have asked you to do will keep you busy for a while."

"You must be desperate to see him if you're going to leave me alone here again, at night time when I could easily go and find someone to eat."

"You will not, I expect you to stay here." I knew without her replying that she would, although I did not have any other choice, I had to see him, I felt like I was starting to burn, the pain caused by being apart was getting stronger by the minute, slowly clawing its way through me.

"Is it that bad?" She looked at me in concern as I rubbed my hand absentmindedly against where my heart was, the absence was toxic, and it _was _uncomfortable.

"Nothing that seeing my love will not cure, any pain I feel is outshone by how happy he makes me."

She smiled at me and began wandering around the room, tapping a pencil against her arm in a rhythmic, soothing manner, clearly the conversation was over.

I looked around the cottage one last time before I left, soon this place would be warm and filled with things that would make Edward happy.

Racing towards the city was so much more enjoyable under the cover of darkness, and it made me happy knowing that I was running towards my love, every step I took towards brought us ever closer.

By now the sky had grown dark and I could move more easily through the trees. I took my time though; I enjoyed the time spent travelling _to_ him because even though we were still not together I enjoyed the feeling of excitement and anticipation. I had changed my clothes; I still kept to my black attire but Rosalie had convinced me before I left to change into a black knee length dress with tights. I was not sure what to think about tights, such a strange human invention, and I had not decided whether I agreed with the concept yet or not.

After what felt like years, I found myself at the intersection of the road which lead to Edward's place of work and the road which lead to his home. The night air would feel quite cold to a human and I sincerely hoped he had been able to catch a bus home; I hated to think of him walking by himself in this weather, when I imagined he would not have adequate clothing to keep himself warm. I hoped he was at rest now, I had seen his timetable today, posted on the door leading to the kitchen, and he should have been home for hours by now, at least I had left him with an adequate lunch, it was the least I could do.

I scowled when I saw a couple of men looking at me; did they have no respect for mated women? Humans were so very odd sometimes; a male vampire would never even _contemplate_ looking at a mated female in such a way, no matter how shallow they might be, unless they had a death wish of course. My coat flapped in the cold wind as I wound my way through the increasingly narrow streets on the way to his apartment. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts of him that I almost did not notice his scent, fresh along the same path.

I closed my eyes and inhaled, greedily consuming as much of it as I could. I could feel the bond tingling, it felt like the edges of it had been sleeping and the proximity of its partner bond had awoken it. My skin was prickling in anticipation to be nearer to him, in fact, every part of me was. I smiled wide in triumph as my pace quickened, I knew I had to maintain a normal pace but I wanted to be with him as soon as possible.

As I turned the corner, I was surprised to see my love standing at the entrance to his apartment building with two other men; I cocked my head to the side because something did not seem right. One man clutched a crowbar and stood threateningly behind him but when I saw the other man raise his voice and push Edward against the door I was at his side in an instant. I clutched his bicep in my hand and he yowled in pain, spinning around to face me.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, you little bitch!" The other thick looking human spoke up as he went to grab me; I caught his fist in my own as he did so, crushed it, and then delivered a blow to his throat, rupturing his vocal cords no doubt. The man I had originally grabbed threw his arm around my neck hoping to choke me, which was not really a problem when I did not have to breathe. I almost laughed at their fighting tactics. I crushed the mans' arm with the tips of my fingers and squatted so I could throw him down hard onto the grass. I had to control myself, I could not display too much power or strength but I still wanted them to be punished.

I could tell that they were both fighting the urge to cry from the pain, I looked both of them in the eyes as I delivered my message.

"Stay away from him, now go." The second I finished speaking they scampered away whilst looking back to see if I was following them. Pathetic.

I sighed as I turned around to face my love, I was sure I had what could be described as a 'goofy' smile on my face but I was just so happy to see him. I grasped his hands in mine and looked up at him. His eyes were wide and he appeared frozen, I did not consider that I may have scared him while I was sending those nasty men away; I did not want him to be afraid of me.

"Darling, it is so good to see you again."

"W-wh-wh…what was t-t-t-that?" His eyes were fixed to mine as he spoke, whereas before he looked down into his lap, I was glad that he was feeling more confident.

"They were bad people Edward, I couldn't stand to see you in danger, and I would do anything to protect you." I looked up at him, hoping that he could see the absolute truth that I was trying to convey, I could never let anything happen to him.

"H-how did you d-d-d..d-do tha-at?" His hands gripped mine tighter, I could tell that he was worried, so I rubbed my thumbs gently over his skin.

"My job requires me to be proficient in those sorts of things; my family have a long history of working in law enforcement. I missed you my love." His eyes were less wide now, and the smallest of smiles began to form on the right side of his mouth.

"I- uuh, yeah, yes me too." He was whispering now, but I could hear his voice loud and clear. A pale pink blush rose on his cheeks.

"You're cold my love, we should go inside." I turned to the door, but he stopped me and I turned to him.

"H-how d-d-id you f-find me?" I hatred to lie to him, but I knew that up to a certain point it was inevitable, I tried not to tell him too many untruths.

"The truth is that I wanted to see you. I was hoping that I would run into you, and I wanted to look around because I have only just moved to Seattle. I am glad that I found you."

"Ok." He turned to the door and fiddled with his keys for a couple of minutes before he opened the door.

"I should have a-asked, d-do you, want t-t-to, come in?" He seemed to be second guessing himself just as we were stepping through the door. The warm air it me and I was glad that it was at least warmer inside for him.

"I will follow you anywhere." He smiled at me again and shook his head, as if he did not believe me.

"Why-why, why are you here?"

"I needed to see you, the time I spent apart from you was very difficult." We were sitting down together on the stairs very closely because the stairway was not very wide. I took his hand in mine and began tracing the veins on his hands with my fingertips; we remained in silence for just under five minutes before he spoke again.

"I'm s-s-sorry, there's n-n-no he-heating in my ap-partment, s'warmer down here."

"That is quite alright." I could tell that he was nervous and perhaps a little uncomfortable, was I being too forward? I just couldn't tell.

"Edward I would like to see you tomorrow, will you be working?" He nodded when he met my eyes. I smiled in response.

"Perhaps I could buy you some breakfast?"

"You d-don't n-n-need to." He frowned a little and shook his head; he even began to lower his head and his gaze to his lap.

"Well I would like to, it would make me very happy Edward. Would you like to see me tomorrow?" I worried when he did not answer, I bent my head so I could meet his gaze and he had his eyes screwed shut.

"It w-would b-be, s-s-s-oo m-much easier to t-think th-that I'm d-dreaming th-than b-believe that th-this is r-real." He had a pained look in his eyes and I decided to be brave and place my hand on his cheek. Our eyes met as the bond between us deepened, I knew he could feel it, he just didn't know what it was.

"My love, I think that we can both agree that this is very real. I have been waiting for this for a very long time." He gasped slightly and I smiled, I _knew_ he felt it as much as I did, staying away from his would be impossible now.

"I should let you rest now darling, you have had a hard day at work, but I look forward to seeing you very soon." I placed my other hand on the other side of his face and felt the warmth of his blood rushing to his cheeks.

"Me too."

"Until then, sleep well." I got up to leave but he kept my hand in his, I glanced back at him and he realised what he was doing, let go of my hand and groaned in embarrassment. He ran his hands through his hair nervously and peeked at me shyly.

"B-bye Is-Isabella." I turned back to look at him as I was halfway out of the door. I couldn't just leave him with his look of nervousness on his face; I took three long strides towards him, picked up his hand and pressed a kiss to his palm whilst looking into his eyes.

"Thank you Edward."

I left my love standing shock still but with a considerable smile on his face, my own matched his and I was already counting the minutes until I would go back to his room and keep him company while he slept.

I was still smiling when I closed the door behind me and walked with purpose out into the night. It was time to find the two men who tried to hurt my Edward and end them.

**Thank you for your patience readers, this story, like 'Sight', will be finished, eventually…**

**Enjoy your weekend readers.**

**Aurora**


	6. Chapter 6

**An extra-long update for my ever patient readers, thank you all. **

**Disclaimer – Original characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, plot lines and characterizations, all belong to Aurora18, copyright December 2012.**

_Last time…_

"_B-bye Is-Isabella." I turned back to look at him as I was halfway out of the door. I couldn't just leave him with his look of nervousness on his face; I took three long strides towards him, picked up his hand and pressed a kiss to his palm whilst looking into his eyes._

"_Thank you Edward."_

_I left my love standing shock still but with a considerable smile on his face, my own matched his and I was already counting the minutes until I would go back to his room and keep him company while he slept. _

_I was still smiling when I closed the door behind me and walked with purpose out into the night. It was time to find the two men who tried to hurt my Edward and end them. _

**Chapter 6 – Protect**

They had to die.

I felt no guilt for what I was about to do, any creature, vampire or human who _dared_ to try and harm my Edward would be ended. Inside I was seething, I wanted to make them suffer, draw out their deaths but most of all I wanted to get back to Edward, each moment I spent with him was precious and I did not want to waste any more time than was necessary with these low lives.

I knew their scents of course, but I could also smell their blood which made tracking them easy. The smart thing for them to do would have been to split up, because then I would have had to spend more time tracking them individually, it would have given one of them the illusion that he might live, but clearly they had no idea with whom they were dealing.

It did not take me long at all, they had not gone far. A sinister smile lit my face as I began to hear them, the man who I had thrown to the ground was the noisiest, because the other one had damaged vocal cords, he was only grunting.

Not for long.

I rounded a corner and slowly walked the hundred yards to the abandoned warehouse where they were huddled, they looked so pathetic. I parted the rags that served as the door and the moonlight lit up my face, they both turned around in shock as they realised who it was. The one with the broken vocal cords scampered to the back but the other seemed to be shocked still.

I was filled with rage as I looked at them, pathetic and frail. How could they think of possibly hurting my Edward? If I had the time and the patience I would make them suffer for much longer, thinking that they could steal from my darling was inexcusable, that they could hurt him… I walked over slowly to the one on the ground, shaking and clutching his throat. I bent down to his level so I was sitting in front of him and whispered in his ear.

"Are you scared?" He just looked at me wide eyed, neither nodding nor shaking his head.

"I know that you are. I can smell it on you. It's disgusting." I took his hand in mine and held it out in front of me. He tried to pull away but my grip was too tight.

"This is the hand with which you aimed to hurt my love. I need to do something so that you can't hurt anyone else. Is that alright with you?" I did not wait for his answer as I pinched each of his fingers between one of mine, shattering the small bones and tearing the flesh. I sighed at his attempts to scream and struggle and moan, it was all useless. Why did they try to fight me? I moved onto the other hand and sat back to admire my work.

"Now you won't be causing trouble for anyone will you?" He shook his head vigorously, tears running down his cheeks and the veins in his face straining from the pain.

"Well now, I do not think that I believe you. So what I am going to do is pop your neck, like this." I grabbed onto both sides of his head and twisted quickly and then looked up to his friend, trembling at the exit. "And now I am going to find your friend."

"What the hell are you?" He was looking around for a weapon and I saw the moment that his eyes landed on the chair that was actually the same distance away from both of us.

"Are you going to pick that up and throw it at me? It will not work. Are you going to scream for help? No-one will hear you. Are you going to run?" In a fraction of a second I was in front of him, I scrunched my nose at the smell of urine as he was clearly more scared than he was willing to admit.

"To answer your question, I am the last person in the world you should have upset tonight. But I am also the last person you will ever bother again." A swift punch to his nose sent his head and his body in different directions. I sighed unhappily as I realised how much time I had spent dealing with these idiots. That was four minutes more I could have been spending with Edward. Sometimes though, we had to deal with unpleasant things, and while these two were certainly not the worst I had come across, not by a long way, any crime against my mate, no matter how small, was punishable by death.

I raced my way back to his apartment building. There were no cars around or people to see me, so I did not have to worry about my speed. I climbed the tree next to his window and smiled when I could see him, my body was hidden behind the trunk of the tree and also by the darkness but I could see him perfectly clearly. He was mumbling to himself, he seemed to stutter less when he was whispering and not around other people, there was nothing wrong mechanically I was sure; it must just be a question of nerves.

I watched him walk around his tiny room, re-arranging papers and folding away his clothes from several days before. He looked so lonely and despondent, I wanted nothing more than to climb through his bedroom window while he was still awake and keep him company, but even I knew that it was too early for that. I had to be patient, usually I had no problem with this but when it was a question of making my mate happy, my first instinct was to do whatever it was that would make him happy and disregard the consequences.

When I saw him walk towards the window I climbed up higher in the tree so that I was looking down on him and watched him as he gazed out into the night. What was he looking for?

"Is-a-bell-a. Isa-bella. Issabella. Isab-bella." He took a deep breath and sighed, he was doing so well and if he just said it one more time I was sure that he could get it. The sound of my name coming from his lips was beautiful, it made me feel warm inside and I could not help but smile.

Suddenly he turned around and started looking through his bag for something, I leaned forward, my interest was piqued, from what I had seen so far Edward did not move quickly or suddenly, but with much more caution. It was so nice to see him unguarded; when he thought no-one was watching him. He smiled widely when he pulled the packaging out that he had obviously been looking for.

I peered closely and I could see that it was the wrapping from the sandwich I had bought him that day. He held it between his large hands as if it were something precious and whispered my name.

"Isabella." I had to hold myself back from going to him, he would be so nervous if he knew that I was watching him, but I wanted to tell him how happy he made me. He did not appear to do much before going to bed, he spent quite a while in the bathroom though, but then I remembered how many needs humans had so I should not have been so surprised.

He seemed to be tired which was a very good thing for me because it meant that I would not have to wait too long until I could slip in beside him.

I decided then, that after ten agonizing minutes of waiting, enough was enough and he would be in a deep enough sleep for me not to wake him. I slipped lithely from the tree to the window ledge and landed with a small thud in his room by his bed. He was not wearing a shirt this time, and the cover only reached the bottom of his stomach and I was astounded by his masculine beauty. I wanted to worship him, every inch of him. Seeing his body like this was the worst temptation, I was filled with lust and desire as my eyes raked over him, absorbing every detail and nuance.

I closed the window behind me, and for a fraction of a second he was out of my line of sight, but I could still smell him. His scent was delicious, mouth-watering, I wanted to inhale every inch of him and drown in the way he smelled. I knew that as his mate, his scent would call to me but I never realised how much. It seemed that he had the same effect on me as a human as any vampire would if he were my mate, there was nothing diluted or weakened about my reaction to him.

There was no light in the room but I could see perfectly and for the second night in a row I spent hours letting my eyes wander over his form, taking everything in, and running my hands over the space an inch above his skin, as I would do if I were actually touching him. I could feel his body heat from where I was, and of course the melodic beat of his heart, at such a different rhythm now that he was sleeping compared to when he was awake.

I looked at his face and his hand which rested underneath, supporting his head while he slept. I wanted to be the one to give him that support, to wrap myself around him in bed and have him lay his claim to me, over and over again. I tried to quell my desire, but it was much stronger than the first night I spent with him, the more time we spent together, the more I wanted him, the more my _body_ wanted him. It recognised him as its partner and wanted to complete our bond as soon as possible.

Running my fingers alongside his face and over his features I was careful not to make too much contact lest I should wake him, but the little contact that this small action did afford me caused reactions in my body that I had never felt before meeting him. I felt a tightening in my loins and a haziness sweep over my vision. I could feel the venom collecting in my mouth, wanting to lay claim and exchange substances with my mate.

I sat stunned and frozen when he started moving, his heartbeat had not changed as I would have expected if he were about to wake up but he moved more to his side so that he was facing me, and his bed sheet moved a little lower.

Many had complimented me on my discipline and self-control, even though they never understood why I only drank as much human blood as I had to. To them I was a marvel to be able to survive on animal and human blood, not that I had inspired any of them to copy me, but the bloodlust was nothing compared to what I was feeling now, lying on Edward's bed looking at him half naked.

More of his side and hips had been revealed when he moved over towards me and I imagined I looked like I was starving as I studied the new flesh. I could see that he was not eating enough as he was far too thin for his height but I knew that that was something I could remedy. I was already reviewing all the establishments I had seen today that would be able to provide him with breakfast tomorrow morning. I would need to find something nutritious with a relatively high calorific content. I had not paid attention to these sorts of things in the past but how was I to know that I would be mated to a human?

No matter, that was in the past, now it is important for me to know these things, to provide and protect. I only wanted the best for my Edward. He stirred quietly, creasing his brow while a small muscle in his neck strained slightly. Perhaps he was having a bad dream, I certainly hope not. I did not remember what it was like to dream from when I was human. I vaguely remembered sleeping but there was not much else in my human life that was worth hanging on to.

I remember that when I was first changed, I did not want to talk about my former life, I was excited to leave it and everyone in it behind and embrace my new one with those who had rescued me. Aro thought it was important for me to remember, we would sit for hours in my first ten years as a vampire and he would flick through the experiences in my head and ask me about them. Aro believed that knowledge was power and the greater control we had over our own memories, the better we could know ourselves.

Marcus took more of a relaxed approach; he wanted to talk to me so that he could get to know me better, and the wives were the same, merely curious instead of interrogating me. Caius never bothered to ask me anything about my past life, and really, over all the hundreds of years I had spent with him and his brothers, we really had not spoken a lot. There were many things about which we did not agree so I found it better to just not talk to him.

My love was more relaxed now, but his brow was still furrowed and I smiled because he looked so handsome and just, adorable really. I smoothed one finger over his eyebrows and he hummed in response. I was a little taken aback by his reaction, it was not something that I was expecting but it pleased me greatly. He huddled further into his bed and the faintest trace of a smile appeared on his lips.

"Do not dream of negative things my love; I do not want you to ever be sad." I whispered close to his ear, making sure not to make too much noise as to wake him.

"I am working on our cottage as we speak; I am preparing it for us. I want to have everything how you would like it but at the same time I want to surprise you, I hope that you will love the end result. There are so many things I have to give you; I have been saving them all, for years. I hope that you will like them, if there is anything that you may desire, you only have to say it and it is yours." I reluctantly pulled my finger away from his brows and resumed my light touches to his neck. I was looking at his throat with hunger, not the kind for blood, but with desire.

Right now I could be looking at the place where I will give my love my venom during our mating ceremony. When we mated ourselves it would be in a much more intimate place, as per tradition. I did not want anyone else to be able to see the seal of our bond, it was a very private thing for vampires and anyone who displayed it openly was looked down upon for indecency.

I looked out of the window to see the sun beginning to rise, I would need to leave soon but that was the last thing I wanted to do. I smiled at the change of Edward's appearance as the light began to filter in through the window; he was always radiant and so very handsome to me but lying here in his bed with me he looked nothing short of spectacular. I was so tempted at that moment to kiss him on his lips but I wanted our first time doing that to be when he was awake. I settled for pressing small kisses to the tips of each of his fingers instead, it was by no means a bad option, because I was still able to touch and kiss my love.

I was a little worried when the bed creaked as I got up, but Edward still seemed fast asleep, I smiled at that, I liked the thought that he was relaxed enough with my presence here, even though he did not consciously know it, that he could sleep soundly. Maybe some part of him realised that I would protect him at any cost.

I really did not want to move at this point, I was so happy just standing and looking at him from where I was by the window.

"Goodbye for now my love, I will see you in a little over an hour." The only reason I was leaving was because I had to change my clothes, perhaps Edward would notice if I showed up a little later wearing the same things. I did not want him to think that I was neglectful of my appearance around him.

I had to fight to tear my eyes away from his sleeping form and opened the window as quietly as I could. I took one last, lingering look back at him and practically threw myself to the ground away from him. I rubbed my chest over my heart at the dull ache that was slowly re-surfacing the further away I got from him. I made my way through the city to the woodland where I could not be seen and raced back to the cottage. If I had been a couple of hours earlier I would have been able to travel through the city itself, but as it was, I didn't mind the detour if it meant I could spend a few more hours with my love.

As I neared the cottage I could hear Rosalie tapping furiously at the computer, I was surprised the poor thing had not broken by now. As long as she was behaving herself and not being too reckless, then I really did not mind at all. She took no notice of me as I came through the door but as I stepped closer she whipped her head around to look at me with wild eyes. She got up and ran over to me and within a fraction of a second she was standing a foot away from me, barely able to restrain herself.

I realised then that I must still have some traces of human blood on me from last night, while I certainly did not drink from the low lives that had attacked Edward, I made sure to cause them considerable pain. Her jaw was clenched and she was gritting her teeth.

"I should have washed my hands before I came back here Rosalie, I did not think. Are you all right?" I peered at her curiously; just a year ago if the same thing had happened she would have leapt at me and done whatever she could to get some of the dried blood on my skin. She had come a long way, I felt a strange feeling welling up inside of me and I realised that I was proud of her for resisting.

"I think you should take a step outside, clear your head, while I shower and get changed." I was not asking her, she knew it was practically an order, but she nodded her head in assent anyway and took several, slow, measured steps towards the front door through which I had entered only a matter of seconds ago.

I smiled slightly at her growing self-control, being around humans was one thing but it was entirely another when there was blood involved. It was not something I noticed now, blood lust was not a problem for me after so many hundreds of years, but I appreciated the struggle she was experiencing.

Luckily while Peter had not thought to equip the kitchen before our arrival, I did have a fully functional bathroom, and a big one at that. He knew how much I liked bathing and washing, of course we do not produce fluids and odours in the same ways that humans do, but for me it was more about the sensation of being immersed and surrounded by water, it was very comforting, although I knew that many found it to be very strange that I like to do so.

I took off my clothes and left them on the ground since we had nothing by way of furnishings in the cottage. Scrubbing my arms and fingers harshly I spent a few minutes making sure there was absolutely no trace of blood left on me, I did not want to cause Rosalie any more discomfort, but more importantly, it would be disrespectful to Edward should I choose to leave myself unclean as I was.

Standing under the shower was a relief and a small luxury that I took pleasure in, I did not need to wash my hair like humans did because it would not get dirty that way but it was something I liked to indulge in when I did shower because it helped me form a routine, and also reminded me of the days when I used to live with my family all the time in Volterra.

Everything there had a routine and protocol, everything had its place, and traditions and customs always had to be followed, in some ways I missed the structure, but I liked living away because it gave me independence and freedom. I did like having the knowledge that I could go back and live there whenever I wanted, that was also comforting.

I was dressing in tight navy blue trousers and a black shirt when I heard Rosalie come back in. We arrived back at the computer at the same time and I enjoyed looking through the things that she had picked out. Some of her choices were not exactly to my taste but I soon corrected her when she had got something clearly wrong.

"Perhaps it is not so bad here in Seattle then?" She looked at me out of the corner of her eye and smiled.

"It's definitely a perk being able to spend your money; the place in New York was practically empty for all the years we lived there."

"It was not very long at all really, and besides, things are different now."

"Yeah, they really are aren't they? Last week I couldn't have imagined you'd spend your free time sleeping next to humans." I growled lowly at her and she hastened to correct herself, out of respect.

"Human, singular. Your mate, I should have said that. I just, it's different with you guys, everything you told me about mating and everything I've seen. This has nothing to do with that."

"It is confusing for me also." We were quiet for a few minutes as we flicked though thousands of images of beds, trying to find one that I would like.

"Who were they? The ones from last night?" Obviously she had picked up on the two scents of blood surrounding me when I came in, she sounded curious, and a little impressed, a rare reaction from her.

"They wanted to hurt Edward. They will not be missed I am sure" She nodded in understanding and looked me right in my golden eyes.

"I don't understand how you could resist drinking from them if they bled on you. If that was me I wouldn't have stood a chance."

"It would have been disgraceful for me to ingest the blood of those who tried to cause my mate harm, but do not forget that I have many centuries of practice, I was not born with a natural resistance. These things take time." She nodded again and gave me a small smile; it seemed my being mated was having a good effect on her as well. Edward was just good for everyone.

I was collecting my money when she called out to me. "Enjoy your time with him, it's nice seeing you happy, about as shocking as being ripped apart and thrown in a fire, but nice."

"Thank you Rosalie. I do not know when I will be back but please, try to refrain from choosing anything else in pink or animal stripes; it is displeasing to my eyes." She smiled widely as she turned back to the computer and I sincerely hoped she took my orders seriously, those colours really were quite _unpalatable._

My heart filled with joy once again as I raced through the trees towards the city, I was les careful with my speed, merely because I knew that the faster I ran, the less time there would be between now and seeing my love.

I stopped at one of the typical breakfast places that seemed to be quite popular, and smelled a fraction better than the one at which Edward worked. Everything looked a little fresher and did not smell as if it had been sitting in plastic for months. I approached the man at the bar who appeared to be well into his fifties, I felt a sigh of relief as I realised that he would not be single-mindedly controlled by his need to procreate and there was a chance that he would talk to me as if I were another normal human being.

"Good morning Miss, what can I get for you this fine Seattle morning?" He was most jovial, and furthermore sincere in his greeting, how very pleasant of him.

"Good morning…Billy, the thing is that I am not quite sure, I am in quite a predicament you see, I am trying to buy breakfast for someone but I am not quite sure where to…start." I was confused as I perused the offerings the place had, I knew that some elements like fruit and carbohydrates would be essential but I was not sure how to achieve a perfect breakfast.

"Well do they like oatmeal? That's a pretty safe option."

"I'm not sure, but it seems to be popular here. I will take the largest portion you have. What else?"

"Ok, if you're sure. Well how about some fruit and a bagel." I nodded my head at him and gestured for him to continue.

"This guy's got a hell of an appetite if he can eat all of this. Shall I throw in some pastries and breakfast rolls?"

"Yes please, if you wouldn't mind, and a cinnamon caramelatte, I hope he will like it all, he is underfed." He looked at me incredulously but started ringing through my items nonetheless. A lady behind me who had been tapping her feet for the last few minutes started making clucking noises with her tongue and I really could not stand it any longer.

"Is there a problem?" I stared her right in the eyes and she took a step back at my fierce expression.

"Well I'd like to get some coffee before my lunch break, that's if you've left anything for the rest of us. You'll be regretting breakfasts like that when you're older missy, it'll all go straight to your hips, you'll see!" I simply could not believe the _nerve _of this human. If she realised that I could kill her in a fraction of a second perhaps she might pay me a bit more respect, I had not been spoken to like this is a long time, not even by Rosalie.

I gritted my teeth and stepped towards this insignificant human. "Now you listen to me, I have been talking with this gentleman here, discussing my breakfast order for three minutes and forty eight seconds, if it troubles you that much to have to wait for a cup of coffee, then I suggest you seek professional help. Furthermore, I am purchasing breakfast for the one person who means more to me than anyone else in the world, I will not be _rushed_ while I make such an important decision as to what I am purchasing for him for breakfast. Have I made myself clear?" She nodded dumbly at me and I took satisfaction in the fact that it was very unlikely she would ever be rude to someone in such a circumstance ever again.

Billy had bagged up my order and I handed him almost double what it cost for the order, he looked at me with wide eyes and I flashed him a closed mouth smile. "Thank you for being ever so helpful this morning Billy, you have a good day."

"You too Miss." I could tell he was staring dumbly after me as I walked out of the door, but not before I shot the rude woman a parting glare that had her shrinking against the counter. Silly humans.

I imagined Edward would be leaving for work in the next ten minutes or so, I wasted no time in making my way to his apartment building so I could be there the moment he stepped out. Thankfully I did not have to wait long and I beamed up at him as he closed the door behind him on his way out.

He looked quite shocked and I wondered why.

"Good morning my love. Did you sleep well?" I made my way over to him until we were only half a metre apart with the bag of breakfast goods in my right hand.

"Uh, m-morning. Y-yeah I d-d-did th-thanks, almost m-missed mmm-y alarm." I zipped up his jacket as he spoke and his eyes were fixated on the movement of my fingers.

"Well that is excellent. Are you hungry? I hope so because I brought you breakfast, I hope you like it." I pushed the bag up to his face and again he had that shocked expression on his face.

"Whi-which bits are m-m-mine?"

"All of it of course, I was not sure what your preferred foods are so I picked up a few things."

"Th-this i-is enough f-f-for a we-week."

"Really? I don't think so, if you do not like it you must tell me what you would prefer instead." He started shaking his head vigorously and reached for the coffee first of all.

I watched him take a small sip and matched his smile when he realised what it was.

"My f-favourite."

"Yes, you told me yesterday." He smiled and nodded his head at me. He continued looking through the bag and pulled out the tub of steaming oatmeal next with the plastic cutlery. Upon lifting the lid his eyes lit up and as soon as he started eating, I worried that he might be doing so too quickly.

"I th-think th-th-that this is th-the best br-breakfast I've evvv-er had, how m-mu-ch d-dit it all c-c-cost?"

"That is of no consequence my darling, what matters the most is that you are happy."

"I ha-have s-s-so m-m-many things to th-thank you f-f-for." I resisted the urge to place my ice cold fingertips against his warm lips, he should not be thinking such things, it made me incredibly happy to help him in this way.

"You b-bough my s-s-sandwich ye-yesterday d-d-didn't y-you?"

"Yes, did it please you?"

"You h-have n-n-no idea, be-be-best lunch ever." I could only smile more widely in response.

"Then soon I shall have to provide you with the best _dinner _you have ever had." He looked at me with wide eyes and his cheeks flushed pink along with the tips of his ears. The effect was fascinating to watch. I supposed that he had understood my comment to be meant sexually which was just fine, because I wanted him very much in that respect as much as any other.

"Did y-y-you g-g-et back ok-k l-l-last night? I sh-should h-h-have w-walked y-you h-home, it w-was l-l-late."

"Thank you for your concern Edward, but I was quite alright, I was definitely glad to see you though. I felt so very fortunate seeing you twice in one day." I looked over at him eating his oatmeal and he smiled in response.

"M-me t-t-too."

"I sh-should p-p-pay you b-b-back in s-s-s-s-ome way." We were walking along now slowly towards the city; he had finished his oatmeal, practically moaning with every spoonful. I supposed he would have especially appreciated it today because it was so cold, I was glad that he had enjoyed that as well as his coffee in any case.

"Well perhaps there is something you could do for me…" I felt really rather cheeky for asking him this, after all, he could say no, but he seemed like he was attracted to me too so I decided to just let the chips fall where they may.

"Y-yes?"

"Would you hold my hand Edward? I would really love it if you did." He looked at me in a slightly suspicious way and I only nodded and smiled at him. Slowly, I could feel his hand reaching towards mine and the moment our fingertips met we both felt the shock but we were prepared for it, well perhaps he a little less than I.

I squeezed his fingers slightly and could not help but let out something that sounded halfway between a giggle and a laugh. I wanted to jump up and down and scream to the world how happy I was. Edward noticed my jubilation and peered at me curiously, cocking his head to the side.

"I have never done this before." I squeezed his warm hands slightly and he wrapped his own more around mine, the sensation was nothing short of incredible.

"Wh-what?"

"Hold hands with a man, a man who I am so incredibly…taken with." I had to refrain from using stronger expressions of my love, devotion and adoration; it was not customary to do so this early on in human relationships.

"Why?"

"Because I have been waiting for _you_ Edward."

**So, what did you all think? I still get nervous when I post chapters because even though I might be happy with a chapter, I don't want to disappoint my readers. I'm planning to update around the same time next week since I'll have some free time then.**

**Have a great weekend everyone!**

**Aurora**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer – Original characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, plot lines and characterizations, all belong to Aurora18, copyright October 2014.**

**So it's been almost 2 years since my last update, but I will finish each and every one of my stories, maybe the updates will be smaller, this chapter may be only 1000 words but it means I should be able to update more frequently now. Let me know if you want me to continue…**

**Enjoy!**

_Last time…_

"_I have never done this before." I squeezed his warm hands slightly and he wrapped his own more around mine, the sensation was nothing short of incredible._

"_Wh-what?"_

"_Hold hands with a man, a man who I am so incredibly…taken with." I had to refrain from using stronger expressions of my love, devotion and adoration; it was not customary to do so this early on in human relationships. _

"_Why?"_

"_Because I have been waiting for you Edward."_

**Chapter 7 – Communicate**

I looked up at him earnestly, honesty showing in my features waiting to gage his reaction. We had stopped on the pavement and I took a small step towards him, our hands were still entwined and I felt his body heat coming off of him in waves. The bond hummed contentedly. This was prolonged, conscious contact between the two of us and I felt intoxicated by it.

He did not say anything and I did not know whether that was a good or a bad thing. His brow was furrowed and he seemed to be looking at my face for something, perhaps truth or honesty.

He seemed to have found what he was looking for and nodded his head slightly before pulling us along again to resume our walk. This had me confused, had he made up his mind about something? What was I communicating to him that he seemed to approve of or accept? If only I could read his mind, catch a glimpse of what he was really thinking. The silence was infuriating, and I wanted him to be open with me.

"Is everything alright…Edward?" He looked at me sideways and nodded his head as he smiled. I felt a wave of relief rush through me, I could see that he was content and not burdened with worry, and that eased my concerns infinitely.

I rubbed my thumb over the skin of his hand and sighed in satisfaction when I felt the tingles of the bond making their way from the tips of my fingers to the very tips of my toes.

"What is it you do when you are not working at the coffee shop?" I swung our hands between us slowly, and I enjoyed the lightness and casual nature of the action.

"Well I w-w-work l-long hours, b-b-but I'm t-taking cl-classes at the co-community college in th-the city." He ducked his head down at the last part, and I feared that he was ashamed; I could not possibly understand why so I probed further.

"That is wonderful, what are you studying?"

"Accounting, I kn-know th-that it's n-n-not the m-most exciting th-thing b-b-b-ut…I l-like it."

"You must not be ashamed my love, if you are doing something that you love then that is wonderful."

"Yes-ss, but s-sometimes I w-wish I c-c-could have g-gone to school. I bet you w-went."

"No I haven't been. I have always been interested in furthering my intellect, but I have seen no reason to go to such an institution." I looked at him and he seemed surprised by my admission.

"R-really?" I took the liberty of holding onto his arm instead of his hand as he turned to address me, the extra contact I was afforded delighted me. If he seemed startled by my forwardness he didn't show it.

"It's true, I suppose it hasn't been an option for many years, I've been working in the family business my whole life."

"Tell me, what would you study if you could go to school Edward?" I waited a little while for his response, he'd quickly worked his way through the oatmeal and was now on to attacking some of the other breakfast foods, I tried to avoid wrinkling my nose in disgust but it was almost impossible.

"M-music, hmm…or F-Finance. I d-don't know, s'never g-gonna happen a-anyway." He pushed his hands into his pockets causing our contact to break. I felt rejected but was sure he didn't mean it that way.

"A musician? How _wonderful_, I do so _love_ music. What instrument do you play my darling?" I pulled his hand out of his pocket and wrapped my own around it, hoping to drag him away from his own embarrassment.

"The piano, b-but not f-for a r-r-r-really l-long time. I had l-lessons when I was t-twelve, th-then we c-couldn't r-really afford it s-s-o I s-stopped." He was looking at me more now as he spoke which indicated that he was both more confident in himself and with me. I was elated and feeling daring.

"I should have known, you have the perfect hands for the piano." I stopped us in an alcove between two stores and pressed my body closer to his. The heat radiating off of him was almost as tantalising as his quickening pulse, out of desire I was sure rather than fear, Edward had never shown the slightest fear towards me.

"Wh-what m-m-makes you s-say that?" He peered at me curiously, a small smile threatening to take over his usually tight-lipped, nervous visage.

I picked up his hand and held it between us, secretly delighting in the way his eyes widened as I did so.

"Well, for one your fingers are long and despite how lean you are your hands are really quite strong. You're very gentle, not cumbersome at all. I suppose being a pianist would suit you, or at least I imagine so. I can't decide which would be better, watching your head bent over the piano concentrating on the beautiful sounds your talented fingers are producing or sitting beside your while you bit your lip in concentration trying to solve some complicated formula."

I looked deep into his eyes as I enunciated every word. His breathing sped up ever so slightly the more I continued and the most delicious pale pink blush spread over his cheeks at the audacity and forward nature of what I had just said. I tilted my head, awaiting his response and stroked my fingers lightly down his, our bond connection crackling in satisfaction between us. I was so very, very lucky to have this man.

He stepped closer to me and his confidence aroused me more than I would have expected, my Edward was very shy so this was quite significant. His eyes wandered to mine and then he bent forwards, very slowly to whisper in my ear.

"I think I've b-been w-waiting for y-you my whole l-life Isabella."

Me too my love, me too.

**So please, let me know what you think. Should I carry on? Have a great weekend guys!**

**-Aurora**


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